Regulator: AC casinos hiring 2,400 this year, 600 full-time

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- A top Atlantic City casino regulator said Thursday the gambling halls plan to hire more workers this year.

Matt Levinson, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, has surveyed the city's eight casinos and found they plan to hire 2,400 workers this year.

He said 600 of those jobs will be full-time positions.

Levinson did a similar survey at this time last year and found about 1,400 job openings.

"Casinos are hiring, and not just for the summer," he said. "The number of full- and part-time openings is a clear indication that our existing casinos are stabilizing and are looking to grow their business. More jobs mean more paychecks for the people in this area that are going to help stabilize our overall economy. There are plenty of very talented people in the region who could use those jobs."

Atlantic City saw four of its 12 casinos shut down in 2014. But the eight surviving ones appear to be stabilizing in terms of revenue and profitability as they face less competition in their immediate market.

Levinson's survey found that 1,260 of the new jobs will be seasonal ones, mostly during the summer months when casinos are at their busiest, noting "this is still a very seasonal industry."

As of the end of March, there were 23,562 people employed in Atlantic City's casinos.