What makes it even tougher to swallow is that the Showboat - one of four Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment - is still turning a profit. Before dinnertime Sunday, neither will have a job. His wife works there, too, as a cocktail server.
'We never thought this would happen,' said Chris Ireland, who has been a bartender at the Showboat since it opened. To the thousands who will be left behind, it still seems unreal.
The Showboat is closing Sunday, followed by Revel on Monday and Tuesday. More than 5,000 workers will lose their jobs in an unprecedented weekend in the seaside gambling resort, leaving many feeling betrayed by a system that once promised stable, well-paying jobs. A time few could imagine during the not-too-distant glory days of casino gambling has arrived in Atlantic City, where two casinos will close this weekend and a third will shut down in two weeks.
