Business is in a tailspin at Trump Taj Mahal, in part due to Unite-Here‘s call for a boycott of the austerity-minded property. Trump 
Entertainment Resorts wanted the union muzzled, plus financial compensation. But a federal judge handed CEO Bob Griffin his walking papers, ruling that federal law protected Unite-Here’s actions against the casino. Griffin had argued that bankruptcy law forbade Unite-Here from lobbying casino clients and urging them to avoid the Taj. Union President Robert McDevitt took a victory lap, saying, “We knew at that point that [owner-to-be] Carl Icahn didn’t have the legal right to stop us from talking to Taj Mahal customers.” It remains to be seen whether McDevitt will act upon the union’s strike vote.
On another front, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority took strides toward diversifying Atlantic City‘s appeal, 
including authorizing a new sound system and improved lighting for Boardwalk Hall. Said CRDA Executive Director John Palmieri, “these upgrades will allow us to utilize it for concerts, performances, boxing matches and more.” Similar improvements were authorized for the Atlantic City Convention Center. The go-ahead was also given for extensive makeovers to the Atlantic Club, most importantly its indoor/outdoor water park. Where was this ‘can-do’ spirit when Atlantic City starting losing its mojo almost a decade ago?
* David Cordish is practically printing money at Maryland Live. So why does his need public financing to build a hotel and convention center?
* Grumbles from Schenectady residents aside, Neil Bluhm got the 80-foot pylon sign he was seeking for Rivers Casino & Resort. In 
the spirit of compromise, the city’s Planning Commission cut back Bluhm’s requested 15,000 square feet of signage to 13,700 square feet and mandated some minor changes to the pylon sign itself. Lone holdout Tom Carey questioned the casino’s energy efficiency, to which Rush Street Gaming executives responded that they have achieved LEED efficiency benchmarks. Now that the kerfuffle over the casino’s exterior design has been resolved, it looks as though it will be smooth sailing for Rush Street’s project.
* Poker isn’t a game of skill in Idaho … at least not sufficiently so, says the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Carl Icahn didn’t have the legal right to stop us from talking to Taj Mahal customers” But he does have every right to shut the place down and throw all the employees out on the street. While I would never want to see that happen, he will have no problem turning the lights off of the place if the losses continue to mount. Such a sad state of affairs there.