FRANCEKASINO COM

Gamblers, Casino Workers Relieved to be Back

Gamblers and workers in Atlantic City, N.J. have every reason to get up and dance a jig-the state government has finally lifted the shutdown that paralyzed the gambling industry in the city.

Atlantic City casinos showed signs of life as it prepared to resume business Saturday. "We're back in business," one pit boss put it, as he opened the lock on a tray of chips, and a 100-dollar minimum blackjack table was again taking bets at the Borgata.

It was a joyful and relieved scene that was echoed throughout the other 11 casinos that were forced to cease operations because of the budget impasse that gripped the state, forcing non-essential government services to be pulled out, including the mandatory state appointed casino gaming inspectors.

The unprecedented closure temporarily laid-off tens of thousands of casino employees. A lot of the casino employees just sat idle or played golf (casino employees get a discount) to pass time. A spokesman for the state's Casino Association has called the three-day shutdown "devastating" because of the chain reaction the business paralysis entailed.

One slot player claimed to be up early in the morning after having spent the night sleeping because the casinos were closed. He called it his first decent night's sleep in Atlantic City.