The Trump Taj Mahal will become the fifth casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey to shut its doors since 2014. Donald Trump built the Taj and its doors opened for the first time in April 1990. Carl Ichan is currently the owner of the Taj and the big dog decided it was time to pull the plug on an operation that had nothing but mounting debt and an ugly strike with one of its labor unions. If you have another four weeks to gamble it up at the Taj before they close its doors after Labor Day in early September.
Everyone who has seen Rounders knows about the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City. “Where the sand turns to gold!” The Taj is a relic of the past and it was once Donald Trump's crown jewel in his gambling empire in the last vestiges of the pre-internet era. When the Taj opened in 1990, Trump pompously referred to the Taj as the “8th wonder of the world!” Carl Ichan took over the Taj after they were unable to keep up paying the juice on their mountain of debt hitting nine figures. Ichan promised to invest in the Taj for much-needed upgrades and renovations. However, he didn't put the money into the Taj as he promised. Instead, the Taj was tied up in one of the longest union strikes in the history of Atlantic City. The future looked grim for the Taj, which is why Ichan decided to shutter its doors and pull the plug on the Taj. Ichan and the Taj big wigs essentially threw the unions under the bus, stating that they were standing in the way of “gaining profitability.”
In the last two years, four other major casinos shut down in AC including Trump Plaza, Revel, The Showboat, and the Atlantic Club Casino (which was once rumored to be bought by PokerStars). The Taj will now join the list of defunct AC casinos.
And here's one of my favorite scenes from Rounders....