Gambling Hall

The sale of Resorts International to New York real estate magnate Donald Trump marks the end of the first chapter in the rebuilding of Atlantic City as the East Coast gambling capital of the United States. Resorts was the dominant player in the first decade of the casino era, casting its shadow over not only the gambling industry but also the city itself. Trump may be in much the same position today, but Resorts will be remembered as the company that gambled and won long before anyone else was willing to roll the dice.

Less than a week after Bally Manufacturing Corp. vowed to keep the stylish Golden Nugget Casino/Hotel exactly the same, the corporate hierarchy has started to crumble at the "best little casino on the Boardwalk. " Since Bally purchased the rival casino on Sunday, two of Golden Nugget's top executives - its casino manager and its chief executive officer - have resigned. Boone Wayson, the chief executive officer, resigned yesterday. Those resignations came amid rumors that Charles Meyerson - a $300,000-a- year casino host who is a legend in the gaming industry for drawing the Nugget's high-roller gamblers - was considering quitting within 60 days.

Despite a last-minute wage offer, waitresses, bartenders, chambermaids and messengers at eight casino-hotels walked off their jobs this morning in their first strike since the advent of casino gambling in 1978. The employees, members of Local 54 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International, set up picket lines at 12:01 a.m. after rejecting an offer by the Atlantic City Casino Association for a two-year wage freeze, said business manager Dan Daidone. "We have people at each of the entrances of the (eight)

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission voted yesterday to renew the gaming license of the Atlantis Casino Hotel, saying the financially struggling gambling hall appeared to be successfully fighting its way back from the brink of bankruptcy. The commission voted 4-1 to allow the Atlantis to operate in Atlantic City for another year, with several commission members praising the performance of Jeanne Hood, the new casino president. "Mrs. Hood, together with her present team, has already demonstrated her ability . . . to stop the hemorrhaging this company sustained," said Commissioner Joel R. Jacobson.

The president of the financially troubled Atlantis Casino Hotel said yesterday that the gambling hall had made an impressive turnaround this year and would significantly reduce the losses that have forced it into bankruptcy court. Jeanne Hood, the Atlantis' president, told the New Jersey Casino Control Commission that deep cuts in costs and a new plan to attract gamblers would put the Atlantic City casino-hotel on sound financial footing. "I'm quite confident that we can continue operating," said Hood, whose casino-hotel lost $35.2 million in 1985.

Donald J. Trump, the New York developer who on Tuesday became the sole owner of two gambling halls here, visited the Trump Casino Hotel yesterday and predicted little casino growth for the resort and a "very, very bad" time ahead for the weaker gaming companies. "I think the future of Atlantic City for the great facilities is very good," Trump said at an afternoon news conference. "I think the future of Atlantic City for the secondary facilities is catastrophic. I don't necessarily even predict that they can survive.