Trump opened the $1.2 billion Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City in April 1990. One year later, in the summer of 1991, it sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because it was unable to generate enough gambling revenue to cover the massive costs of building the facility, particularly amid a recession. Jul 21, 2015 Trump Taj Mahal. The feather in Donald Trump’s Atlantic City cap is without doubt the Trump Taj Mahal, or simply The Taj. Opened in 1990, The Taj was a billion-dollar casino project (not by design), and for a decade The Taj was the place to be in Atlantic City.
A legal battle over a contested $3 million heads-up poker game that involved an Australian poker pro, a Czech casino mogul and too much alcohol could conjure up a decades-old case against a casino formerly belonging to now President Donald Trump.
Back in 1995, a lawsuit against the then Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which ruled that a gambler could not recover his losses despite being intoxicated during play. The lawsuit, filed in 1993, was against the casino and Trump himself. The court ruling was written by current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
The litigation and subsequent ruling involved what is known as “dram shop” liability, which refers to a body of law applying to commercial establishments, including bars and taverns, that serve alcoholic beverages. In the case pitting gambler Ayhan Hakimoglu against the Taj Mahal and Trump, the Third Circuit ruled that dram shop liability didn’t extend to drinking and gambling.
“State courts had not extended dram shop liability beyond injuries from drunk driving and barroom accidents and brawls, and [New Jersey] had intensely regulated casinos without imposing liability for allowing gambling by intoxicated patrons,” the Third Circuit said.
That case set legal precedent for similar suits involving gamblers who racked up substantial losses while drunk, according to prominent Washington, D.C.-based gaming attorney Jeff Ifrah.
“Generally, claims that casinos serve too many drinks to gamblers have failed, as they should,” Ifrah said. “I think Aria casino is on safe grounds here.”
It’s worth noting that Nevada is one of a handful of U.S. states that doesn’t impose dram shop liability for businesses that furnish alcohol unless the incident causing injury involved a minor.
Just last week, Czech casino owner Leon Tsoukernik filed suit against the Las Vegas Strip casino Aria for allegedly over-serving him during a high-stakes, early morning poker game against poker pro Matt Kirk. The Australian sued him in June, claiming that Tsoukernik racked up $3 million in debt from the game in the exclusive Ivey’s Room. Tsoukernik eventually fired back, and in the counterclaim against Kirk and the suit against Aria, he says he was taken advantage of due to his fatigue and drunkenness and should be entitled to damages “in excess of $10 million.”
Though the circumstances of the poker session are unusual, such cases are not unheard of in Nevada. There is a gaming regulation that deals with casinos permitting “visibly intoxicated” people to gamble, Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett told Card Player.
Burnett said he couldn’t comment on ongoing litigation, but did allude to the fact that thanks to the regulation state officials have tools at their disposal to implement disciplinary action in cases where it’s deemed appropriate. That would be separate from whatever comes out of the courts.
“In many instances, the cases come to us directly in the form of a patron complaint, or in others, we learn of them because of civil litigation,” Burnett said. “Often there are debt collections issues that are the basis for the claims in court. Here, we will monitor the proceedings and as in any case we can conduct an investigation ourselves.”
The Alito opinion from 1995 also touched on several other challenges in bringing such litigation against a casino. In the case against the Trump Taj Mahal, the Third Circuit found that it would be “difficult” to show “proof of causation” because “sober gamblers can play well yet lose big, [and] intoxicated gamblers can still win big.”
Tsoukernik said that Kirk had a “dishonest and uncompetitive advantage” in their game.
Both Aria and Kirk’s legal team have yet to file responses to Tsoukernik’s litigation.
The Trump Taj Mahal remains one of Atlantic City’s most appealing casino resorts, in spite of being rescued from near doom recently. The casino market in the city has seen better times, and not long ago was the only gambling option in the country east of Las Vegas, and its close proximity to the huge population database of the U.S. Northeast made it a tempting and popular option indeed.
Editor’s Note: Trump Taj Mahal has permanently closed its doors. Read these news stories for more details:
Atlantic City itself has seen several booms and busts over the years, so this is nothing new, and even as far back as the city’s early days as a resort town in the 19th century, where many would visit by train. The coming of the automobile changed things, and later, the coming of air travel did the same, but they have always managed to adapt.
The new challenge is the fact that they don’t have a monopoly on casino gambling in this part of the country anymore, and now they have to get better to stay competitive and keep attracting enough people, and part of this was to get leaner, which saw several casinos here close down.
The Trump Taj Mahal was nearly one of them, until they were rescued by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who ended up buying the company and currently owns it. It is now operated under by Tropicana Entartainment, which Icahn owns as well, although they have kept the Trump name.
The Trump Taj Mahal was originally going to be called Resorts Taj Mahal, and during its construction, Donald Trump and Merv Griffin both sought to take over the Resorts International company. In the end, a bargain was struck, where Griffin got the company but Trump was given the Taj property, and it became renamed and completed.
The Taj Mahal became the highest grossing casino in Atlantic City, a title they held until the Borgata was built, which is the new champion. The Taj cost a billion dollars to build though and the debt that this created weighed heavily upon Trump Enterprises, which relied on junk bonds to finance it and went bankrupt several times over the years.
Trump, who at one time owned 3 casinos in the city, the maximum allowed, is now out of the Atlantic City casino business, having sold off Trump Marina and seeing Trump Plaza close. The Taj Mahal is the only remaining one open bearing his name, but he no longer has any connections to the business.
Their business struggles aside, this is certainly an impressive property, and if anything, they spent too much money building this place, building too impressive of a resort in other words, and although the Borgata also cost a billion to build, the Taj’s billion was in 1990 dollars, not 2003 ones.
The Amenities at the Trump Taj Mahal
The theme here is of course the Taj Mahal in India, and the entrance certainly is designed to make you feel as you are entering this wonder of the world. Like the builders of the original Taj, they did dream big with this one as well, and perhaps a little too big, but guests don’t complain.
There are over 2,000 rooms here now since the completion of the Chairman Tower in 2008. Depending on when you are booking, rates for their standard rooms range from $79 all the way up to over $300, with weekend bookings costing significantly more generally.
This is one of the things that this hotel has struggled with, as there are resorts in town which have been much less expensive to build that offer better room rates, but the quality of the rooms at the Taj Mahal make it well worth the extra money on a lot of nights anyway.
The rooms are luxuriously decorated and include such features as marble bathrooms, Simmons Health Smart beds, in room refrigerator, safe, iron and ironing board, hair dryers, state of the art televisions, and great views.
Those willing to spend more can book one of their impressive suites, right on up to the Alexander Suite, a 3,500 square foot palace away from home.
There are 19 dining options here, with a wide variety of both upscale and casual dining restaurants. The lineup is headlined by Il Mulino New York, the number one Italian restaurant in New York for over two decades. Robert’s Steakhouse is the only restaurant in Atlantic City to dry age their beef in house.
Sultan’s Feast, their popular buffet, is now back, and there’s also an Asian restaurant, a sushi bar, another Italian restaurant, a candy shop, a Panda Express, a sub shop, a noodle bar, a modern burger restaurant, an American style café, a sandwich shop, a Hard Rock Café, a cafeteria, a fast food Indian restaurant, a pizza shop, a pretzel shop, and a Starbucks.
There are three live entertainment venues, including an arena, a showroom, and a theater, which feature some of the best live entertainment you’ll find in Atlantic City. There is also several bars and nightclubs, including Scores, Atlantic City’s first strip club, Robert’s Rooftop bar and lounge, and the Eco Bar and Lounge.
The Taj Mahal also offers a health spa, a salon, a pool, and a fitness center, as well as shopping on site, to round things out.
The Casino at the Trump Taj Mahal
The casino here is of an impressive size, boasting 167,000 square feet of gaming space. Slot players will delight in their over 2,500 gaming machines, including a wide selection of both slots and video poker machines. There are over 250 new machines that have been added recently, and the management here work hard to ensure that they always have all the slots that players want and then some.
The table games area is also impressive, with 16 different ones to play, including Blackjack, 6 to 5 Blackjack, Double Attack Blackjack, Big 6 Wheel, Craps, Let It Ride, Four Card Poker, Mini Baccarat, Dragon Bonus Mini Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, Roulette, Spanish 21, Texas Holdem Bonus, Three Card Poker, and 6 Card Bonus Three Card Poker.
There’s also a high limit Gaming Salon which looks to offer well heeled players the finest in Monte Carlo style high end gaming experiences, which they feel is Atlantic City’s most sophisticated casino experience.
The Taj Poker Room used to be the second biggest poker room in the city until it closed down, but the good news is that it is back, offering both limit and no limit Holdem, as well as Omaha and Stud. There are 25 tables here so lots of action is to be found.
Taj Mahal Trump Hotel
The Trump Taj Mahal was created to be Atlantic City’s finest casino, and although there have been some fine ones built since, it still remains a very attractive and impressive destination for casino gamblers planning on visiting Atlantic City.
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