A report from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission sheds some light on why Trump Entertainment Resorts failed to find a buyer in its recently withdrawn auction. Atlantic City's 11 casinos last month reported a 1.4% drop in wins and a 4% drop for the first half of the year, according to the commission, which defines wins as revenue derived specifically from gaming operations. The biggest losers were Trump's Plaza, Colony Capital LLC's two casinos — Resorts and AC Hilton — and Columbia Sussex Corp.'s Tropicana. However, not all casinos were in the red. The Las Vegas-style Borgota had a modest increase, but the big winner was Caesar's, which recently underwent renovations intended to position it as a better competitor to the Borgota. The winnings at Borgota and Caesar's are not surprising as both cater to a more upscale crowd thanks to their night clubs and celebrity chef restaurants. The two casinos book the most table game revenues whereas the city's other casinos rely more heavily on slots, so Borgota and Caesar's are less prone to lose gamblers to the new slot parlors in nearby Philadelphia. —Matthew Wurtzel
See report from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (pdf)
See story from The Newark Star-Ledger
See related Trump Entertainment story from TheDeal.com
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