“Grand Closing” Ad and Website Launched as Three Iconic Atlantic City Casinos Shut Their Doors

Media outlets across America are buzzing this week with news about the economic devastation brought on by a wave of casino closures in Atlantic City. Two iconic casinos closed over the Labor Day weekend, and a third is scheduled to close in mid-September, bringing the total closings to four in 2014 alone. These closings will result in the loss of 8,000 jobs, $2 billion in property tax value wiped from the tax rolls, and worsening the economic problems of Atlantic City.

No Casinos today launched a 60-second ad featured on a new website, www.grandclosing.org, to chronicle the news and provide background on this historic financial setback for the beleaguered seaside city, once a mecca for vacationing families and tourists prior to the legalization of casinos there in 1978.

“These closings warrant close attention because they are symptomatic of the enormous economic and social risks associated with casino gambling,” said John Sowinski of No Casinos. “Just as individuals are lured to casinos by the unlikely prospect of beating the odds, communities like Atlantic City can be easy prey for the grandiose financial promises of opportunistic casino operators looking for their next place to profit, regardless of the casualties they’ll inevitably leave behind.”

On January 13 the Atlantic Club closed putting more than 1,600 employees out of work. The Showboat Casino closed on August 31 taking with it nearly 2,100 jobs. Next, the Revel closed on September 2 eliminating more than 3,000 jobs, and the Trump Plaza will close on September 16 eliminating more than 1,100 jobs.

“Perhaps most noteworthy for Floridians is the closing of the Revel,“ Sowinski said. “Opened to great fanfare a little over two years ago as a new concept ‘destination resort’ and a ‘game changer’ for Atlantic City, the idea behind the Revel was to launch a grand seaside hotel that happened to house a casino. It never lived up to its promises, never made a profit.”

Major casino interests, principally from Malaysia and Las Vegas, have sought legislative changes to allow the construction of mega-casinos like the Revel in Florida, using the same euphemism of “destination resorts” and the dubious promise of a payday for local communities. Casino opponents in Florida, led by No Casinos, statewide business and law-enforcement associations, elected officials and concerned citizens, have successfully exposed their true motives and track record – but the battle is likely not over.

“Together, we want Florida to be known as a state that’s a family friendly destination, open to new businesses and higher paying jobs, built on a solid financial foundation with opportunities for long-term growth and prosperity,” Sowinski said. “As the Atlantic City experiment clearly shows, that is not the legacy of casino gambling.”