Atlantic City's Taj Mahal casino, which has been rumored for closure since October, has officially been put to an end.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has announced step-by-step plans for the business' shutdown, according to Philly.com. Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., the owner of the Taj Mahal casino, will be working with the state governmental agency to close the establishment. The Taj Mahal casino's closure date is set for Friday, Dec. 12.
The Trump-owned casino is one of many that are facing closure as a result of declining tourism to Atlantic City. The immigrant communities of south New Jersey have been especially affected by the closures.
"Many of these foreign-born workers had already immigrated to the United States in pursuit of economic opportunity (in the 1990s), and moved to Atlantic City from larger urban areas," Richard Stockton College economics professor Ellen Mutari said in an analysis of the region's declining casino sector, the Press of Atlantic City reports.
"They would hear about job prospects in the casino industry from family members. So the casinos were definitely a magnet for diverse groups of workers to settle here."
Although New Jersey state officials have worked with the private sector in recent years to boost tourism to Atlantic City, their efforts have been largely unfruitful. In 2014 alone, a total of four casinos have shut down, not including the Taj Mahal casino.
The casino's owner, Carl Icahn, is expected to make an official announcement about the closing before the shutdown date.
