The Labor Day weekend proved a difficult one for employees of Showboat and Revel Casino Hotel.

Atlantic City workers
Spencer Platt, Getty Images
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Between Showboat's closure on Sunday and Revel's on Tuesday, roughly 5,000 people lost their jobs. That number is expected to increase when Trump Plaza closes Sept. 16, handing pink slips to roughly 1,100 more people.

While Revel's bankruptcy problems have been public for months, its sudden closure still blindsided some employees.

"When I first got hired they said 'This place will never close' so when I heard that they will close I thought 'Wait a minute, I thought you said we'd be the last ones standing,'" said a Revel employee who got laid off after just four months on the job.

She said the experience soured her on working in the gaming industry.

"I don't want to do another casino, I want to do something else. You never know if they are going to stay open or close."

Antoinette Meyer, a recently laid off housekeeper with Showboat who had been with the company for nearly 27 years, said she is still "numb" after losing her job.

"It's heartbreaking because it was a beautiful place and I loved the people."

Meyer said she isn't applying for a new job right away, and will instead give herself time to relax after years of physically intensive work. She said her job at Showboat provided her with a steady paycheck, good benefits and shares in the company stock.

"It's unfortunate because a lot of people depended on coming here every day. That money paid for the mortgage, rent and those kind of things."

Other laid off workers are hoping to bounce back as quickly as possible.

"I'm going to still continue looking for a job and keep a positive attitude," said another former Revel employee.

 

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