N.J. Casinos Post Worst Year: The casino...

N.J. Casinos Post Worst Year: The casino industry in New Jersey suffered the worst year since legal gambling began in 1978, with Merv Griffin’s Resorts Casino Hotel and Donald J. Trump’s Taj Mahal Casino Resort leading the list of losers in 1990, unofficial figures showed. The city’s 12 casinos lost $265.5 million last year on gross revenue of $3.34 billion, according to the Casino Assn. of New Jersey, an industry trade group. In 1989, the industry earned $14.2 million on gross revenue of $3.16 billion. Resorts lost $222.5 million in 1990, while Trump’s Taj Mahal lost $120.3 million. To increase profit, the casinos are seeking 24-hour gambling instead of 20 hours on weekends and 18 on weekdays, the addition of new games and the ability to add more slot machines.