ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey's casinos ushered the last of the gamblers away from slot machines and tables Wednesday, and janitors locked the doors behind them as a state government shutdown claimed its latest victims.þþIn the first mass closure in the 28-year history of Atlantic City's legalized gambling trade, all 12 casinos were under state orders to lock up.þþAtlantic City's casinos are lucrative for New Jersey. They have a $1.1 billion payroll, and the state takes an 8 percent cut -- an estimated $1.3 million a day. But as a stalemate over the state budget entered its fifth day Wednesday with no deal in sight, even they had to shut down.þþWith no state budget, New Jersey can't pay its state employees, meaning the casino inspectors who keep tabs on the money and whose presence is required at casinos are off the job.þþState parks and beaches were also closed Wednesday because of the lack of staff.þþ''It's like last call at a bar. It's a little bit eerie,'' said Michael Trager, 36, of Cincinnati, was playing a video poker machine at 10 minutes to 8 a.m. when an attendant told him to conclude his bet. ''They said, 'That's it, you gotta cash out. We're closing.'''þþThe doors to the Boardwalk side of Caesar's were locked by janitors. An announcement came over the public address system telling gamblers the casino was closing.þþ''It's history,'' said Andy Trechock, 41, of Depford, as he stepped away from a slot machine at Bally's Wild Wild West casino.þþThe problem started when the Legislature missed its July 1 constitutional deadline to pass the budget amid a fight with Gov. Jon S. Corzine over his proposed boost in the state sales tax.þþWithout a spending plan, Corzine ordered state offices shut down Saturday and all non-essential state government operations closed, and he furloughed more than half the state's employees. Only about 36,000 people in vital roles such as child welfare, state police and mental hospitals remained on the job, and they were working without pay.þþCorzine planned to address all 120 state lawmakers to discuss the impasse Wednesday morning.þþThe dispute between the governor and his fellow Democrats who control the Legislature centers on his plan to increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to help overcome a $4.5 billion budget deficit in his $31 billion spending plan. Experts say the proposal would cost the average New Jersey family $275 per year.þþAtlantic City Police Chief John Mooney worried that the sudden evacuation of the casinos could lead to problems in the streets and to labor unrest. If the shutdown continues, casino workers who aren't being paid could make trouble, he said.þþ''This is a state-created disaster,'' Mooney said.þþUp to 15,000 casino employees would be thrown out of work by the closings, and that number could double if the casinos remain closed through the weekend, according to Robert McDevitt, president of Local 54 of UNITE HERE, a labor union that represents rank-and-file casino hotel workers.þþThe gamblers were well aware of the loss for the city.þþ''They're going to lose a lot of money,'' said Jerome Harper, 42, of Philadelphia, who was playing the slots at Resorts Atlantic City. ''It's bad. Why close it down when you could just do your job and put the budget together? That's what they're paid for.'' þþ
Source: NY Times
