Atlantic City's Borgata lays off 400 workers

The cuts, which were carried out on Wednesday, eliminated 5 percent of the Borgata's work force.

Rob Stillwell, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming, the co-owner of the Borgata, said the layoffs were the first in the casino's five-year history.

"We did everything we possibly could to avoid this," he said. "But the economy is just too bad right now."

The layoffs affected salaried and non-salaried employees in all departments.

About 7,000 employees remain, Stillwell added.

Several other Atlantic City gambling halls have also laid off workers this year. The number of citywide casino workers fell here by 951 in October alone, though not all those were due to layoffs.

The four Atlantic City casinos operated by Harrah's Entertainment Inc.--Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, and the Showboat Casino Hotel--laid off "several hundred" employees in recent months, spokeswoman Alyce Parker said.

She declined to reveal the exact number, but also cited the declining economy and stepped-up competition in the decision to reduce the work force.

According to the state Casino Control Commission, there were 40,124 workers in the Atlantic City casinos as of Nov. 1.--a reduction of 664 since the beginning of the year, though not all were due to layoffs.