Casino news from http://today.reuters.com/
Casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, won 4.8 percent less money from gamblers in July, when they were closed for three days, compared with a year earlier, the state's Casino Control Commission said on Thursday.
Casinos' gambling winnings totaled $480.5 million during the month, the state regulator said.
Atlantic City's casinos were forced to close for three days in early July when a dispute over the state's budget led Gov. Jon Corzine to shut nonessential services including casino regulators.
The 12 casinos in the second-largest U.S. gambling market saw their slot machine revenue fall 8 percent to $345.8 million, while table game winnings rose 4.7 percent to $134.7 million.
"Obviously, the shutdown of the casinos for three days at the beginning of the month had an impact on the industry," commission chair Linda Kassekert said in a statement.
For the first seven months of the year, casinos won $3 billion from gamblers, up 4 percent over the same period last year.
Atlantic City casinos are trying to transform the seaside resort into an entertainment destination like Las Vegas, adding hotel rooms, shopping and dining to a mix still dominated by gambling.
Several casino companies, including Harrah's Entertainment Inc. (HET.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. (TRMP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and a joint venture between MGM Mirage (MGM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Boyd Gaming Corp. (BYD.N: Quote, Profile, Research), are upgrading their properties in the city.
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