As casino revenues fall, gambling industry sheds jobs
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Juan Jimenez’s job at the casino wasn’t the most glamorous one in the place. But picking up cigarette butts, vacuuming dirt from carpets and shampooing stains from spilled drinks (and other, much worse substances) allowed him to bring his family from the Dominican Republic, buy a small house and claim a tiny slice of the American Dream.
In October, his luck ran out.
After 15 years at Bally’s, Jimenez, 62, was laid off, joining thousands of other casino employees in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and other hot spots around the country whose jobs have been eliminated in recent months because people are gambling less in this recession.
"This Christmas is going to be a lot like the first Christmas I had in this country," said Jimenez. "I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have any money, no anything. The only difference is now I have a mortgage and bills."
Atlantic City has been hit particularly hard; this will be the second straight year of declining casino revenue after 28 consecutive years of increases. The industry’s woes began when slots parlors opened in the Philadelphia suburbs two years ago, stealing many of Atlantic City’s customers, and worsened in recent months, first when gasoline prices shot up, then when the economy nose-dived.
Like other gambling centers, casinos in the St. Louis region have suffered.
Last week, statistics published by Missouri and Illinois gaming regulators showed that area casinos remained in a slump during November with some reducing hours as consumers spent less on gambling, dining and shows.
November marked the third month in a row that total revenue from the casinos, excluding downtown’s Lumi
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