Atlantic City, NJ - New Jersey's casino commission says 10 of Atlantic City's 11 casinos are shedding jobs at an alarming pace.
Just over 38,000 people were working in the gambling halls this week, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Casino Control Commission.
That's nearly 2,700, or almost 7 percent, fewer than worked here a year ago.
In December alone, the casinos shed 566 jobs compared with 78 jobs lost in December 2007.
The biggest reduction came at Bally's Atlantic City, which eliminated 669 jobs in the past year. Six other casinos eliminated 300 or more jobs.
Only one casino -- Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, which opened a second hotel tower last year -- added workers, bringing its payroll to 3,951 with 300 new employees.
Atlantic City is struggling not only with the nationwide recession that leaves gamblers with less money to risk, but also with competition from new slots parlors in other states.
For the year, Atlantic City's casinos won 7.6 percent less from gamblers than they had a year ago.
Here are details on the employment figures, which include full-time and part-time workers and do not include reasons for the changes:
-- Bally's went from 5,329 employees to 4,660;
-- The Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort went from 2,634 to 2,235;
-- Caesars Atlantic City went from 3,989 to 3,596;
-- Resorts Atlantic City, perhaps the city's most distressed casino with lenders that intend to foreclose on it, went from 2,674 to 2,300 workers;
-- The Showboat Casino Hotel went from 2,949 workers last year to 2,645;
-- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa went from 7,083 to 6,832 workers;
-- Trump Marina Hotel Casino, due to be sold to a former protege of Donald Trump this spring, went from 2,105 to 1,894 employees;
-- Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort went from 4,262 to 4,053 workers; and
-- Trump Plaza Hotel went from 2,491 to 2,375 workers.
The smallest reduction came at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, which shed 65 jobs to bring its payroll to 3,478. But that's largely because the Tropicana's former owners slashed nearly 1,000 jobs in 2007. They lost their casino license in the process, and the casino is now up for sale.
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