DGE hits Trashicana

It’s one thing when your competitors say you’re second-rate. It’s another when your complaining customers agree with them. But when state investigators tell the world that your casino is low-class, you’ve got some serious thinking to do. That’s just happened to the Tropicana. From the AC Press:

New Jersey’s casino enforcement agency recommended only a one-year license renewal for Tropicana Casino and Resort, citing mass layoffs and a litany of customer complaints under the troubled ownership of Columbia Sussex Corp.

The recommendation by the Division of Gaming Enforcement will be considered by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission when it meets Dec. 12 to make a final ruling on Tropicana’s license and the suitability of Columbia Sussex and chief executive officer William J. Yung III as owners.

In closing arguments, the division’s acting director, Yvonne G. Maher, said Tropicana has not met the standard of a “superior, first-class facility” as required by New Jersey casino law.

She contended that Yung and his company were ill-prepared to jump into the country’s second-largest gaming market when they acquired the Tropicana in January as part of a $2.75 billion acquisition of casino operator Aztar Corp.

“There’s an old saying, ‘Never bite off more than you can chew,”’ Maher said. “That sums up what happened here. Bill Yung bit off more than he could chew with the Aztar purchase and everything that came with it, including the Tropicana Atlantic City.”

Yung and his company have come under withering criticism for making hundreds of layoffs that labor leaders claim left Tropicana dirty, understaffed and unable to compete with other Atlantic City casinos.

DGE recommends one-year-only license for Tropicana

Remember a while back when Columbia Sussex named their casino operating division Tropicana Resorts? No one in the media does, because everyone seems to be ignoring that name.

Before I felt a little bad about the “Trashicana” name–taking a quick look at the tripadvisor reviews of various hotels will show that, if you want, you can cherry-pick complaints to make any place look bad. But now that the DGE’s actually come out and said, “this place is second class,” I don’t feel so bad about it.

This is ironic, because 2 years ago with the Quarter opening up, everyone was pointing to the Trop as one of the top properties in town. Now, everyone’s piling on.

Only Mr. Peanut strolling the boards again in front of the place can restore the Trop’s former luster.

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