Owner says Showboat will definitely close Sunday

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The owner of the Showboat Casino Hotel says the property will definitely shut down on Sunday.

Katie Daugherty, a spokeswoman for Caesars Entertainment, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that despite expressions of interest from potential purchasers, the casino will be closed at 4 p.m. Sunday. The word came a day after Caesars officials conducted a tour of the Showboat with what they described as "an interested party" whom they would not identify.

It marked the first time the company has unequivocally said it will shutter the Showboat since shortly after announcing the shutdown in June. Caesars had said it was fielding offers from interested parties and would consider a sale if one made financial sense.

Showboat is one of three Atlantic City casinos closing in the next few weeks. Revel is closing on Monday and Tuesday; it says Sunday will be its last normal day of operation before it starts shutting things down.

Trump Plaza is closing Sept. 16.

In a filing with the federal bankruptcy court, Revel said it is still talking with potential buyers for the property, although no one has thus far come forward with a plan to continue operating it as a casino resort.

The filing also pushed Revel's casino shutdown back by an hour, to 6 a.m. on Sept. 2.

But Revel will begin winding things down before then.

"On August 31, 2014, after certain restaurants, bars, pools and cabanas, owned and operated by the debtors close at their respective normal business hours, the debtors will begin to remove perishable goods, safeguard alcoholic beverages and secure equipment from those locations," the company wrote.

All open bottles of alcohol will be disposed of; sealed bottles will be counted and put in storage.

Revel says it will maintain sufficient cash on hand in the closed casino to redeem chips or slot vouchers for two weeks after the shutdown. Patrons will enter through an employee entrance and be escorted by security to a cashier cage to redeem their chips.

Anyone trying to redeem chips or slot vouchers after Sept. 15 will have to file a claim through bankruptcy court.

Also on Wednesday, the state AFL-CIO and the main Atlantic City casino workers' union announced creation of a fund to seek donations for casino workers who are about to be laid off.

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