According to Fox Newsand several other sources, Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey will close on September 16. The future of the casino’s associated online poker site, Betfair, remains up in the air. PocketFives reached out to Betfair officials, but our e-mails were not returned at press time.

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This is the latest in a string of disappointing gaming news for the Atlantic City market. As Fox News pointed out, “If Trump Plaza closes, Atlantic City could lose a third of its casinos and a quarter of its casino workforce in less than nine months. The Atlantic Club closed in January, the Showboat is closing next month, and Revel might do likewise if a buyer can’t be found in bankruptcy court.”

All of this despite the Garden State having the largest intrastate online poker market in the US. If Trump Plaza and Revel ultimately end up closing, the number of casinos in Atlantic City could drop from 12 to eight.

A buyer could come in and save the day, according to Fox News, although nothing has come to fruition yet. As the site pointed out, “The company has hired a search firm to solicit buyers for Trump Plaza, an effort that remains ongoing. So far, no buyer has emerged. The company did not indicate what might become of the building after it is closed.”

The fate of Betfair is unclear. OnlinePokerReport’s Chris Grove told PocketFives, “Should Trump Plaza meet its demise, the casino’s Internet Gaming Permit would also cease to exist. That would leave Betfair with two options: exit New Jersey or find a new dance partner. Given Betfair’s substantial investment to date in New Jersey, a retreat seems the less likely outcome. But the list of casinos that Betfair can hope to court is a short one, and growing shorter seemingly by the day.”

According to the Press of Atlantic City, Showboat employs 2,100 people, Trump Plaza employs 1,000 people, and Revel employs 3,100. State Senator Jim Whelan told the Press, “I’ve been angry and depressed about it all day… This is potentially overwhelming. More than 6,000 people would be out of work. That’s a depression.” As noted above, the total jobs lost are tantamount to one-quarter of the city’s gaming workforce.

Atlantic City has faced growing competition from surrounding states, including Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware, the former of which has become the second largest gaming market in the US, according to one outlet.

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