I Saw A Ghost!

For those of you who haven’t guessed, I can be something of a chatterbox sometimes. That’s especially true with employees of places because I’ve always been interested in the stuff that one doesn’t see going on, back-of-house type things. I’ve worked enough jobs to hazard a guess that almost no job is just what it appears to be on the surface and there is a great deal more that goes into the final product than what people see.

Originally, I had wanted to conduct an interview with a casino cage employee named Jason, but then I discovered that he had actually worked for the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, at least, until the strike had been announced. The result, naturally, was a lot of talk about him and about The Taj and not so much about the inner workings of the casino cage. It’s just as well, when it comes to security operation type stuff, he told me that there was a lot that he couldn’t and wouldn’t say as he plans to remain in the casino industry.

While Jason is his actual first name, he requested that his last name not be published. However, if you run into a Jason working the cage at a casino within 200 miles of Pittsburgh, PA (that’s as close as he would let me publish), then there’s a fair chance that it could be him. Further, if you remember a Jason with player services at Trump Taj Mahal, again, good chance you have your guy.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino bought the property and is expected to open as early as next Summer. For awhile, people will say, “That’s where The Taj used to be,” but I imagine that eventually people will either forget or no longer even care enough to say that.

Without further ado, let’s see what he had to say:

Brandon James: First of all, let me thank you for taking the time with me today. We’re essentially just going to scrap the first five minutes and start all over. It seems that you really can’t tell me too much about cage operations, and I’m mainly interested in some backstory at The Taj, anyway. Let’s start with this, how did you end up in this area?

Jason: I’m actually from nearby, my whole family is. The better question would be how I ended up in Atlantic City. My brother and I had the same days off from work for the first time in two years, or so, at least as far as three days in a row. Anyway, we decided to go out there kind of on a whim because we wanted to do some gambling...but you know how spread out the casinos are around here.

Brandon James: Right, so you figured you could hop from casino to casino until you found a place you like?

Jason: Pretty much. Beyond that, I lived closest to The Meadows at the time. Back then, they didn’t have that hotel with the walkway that goes to the casino. I guess you could take a shuttle to and from your hotel, but I don’t know what’s worse: Having to stumble your drunk ass (can I say that?) to a hotel right near a highway, having to stumble your drunk ass through a bunch of weeds to your hotel or puking in a security van.

Brandon James: I haven’t really done any of those. I’ve stumbled my drunken ass down the road on multiple occasions, but it wasn’t on a highway, per se.

Jason: (Laughter) Right, so we just kind of wanted to kick back, mostly kill the phones, relax and have a good time. We took two of his college buddies.

Brandon James: So, what led to you living and working out there?

Jason: Well, I had actually taken some classes to be a dealer at that community college in Wheeling, West Virginia-something…

Brandon James: West Virginia Northern Community College. I haven’t really checked if they are still doing those, but they were advertising the hell out of it when Wheeling Island was first getting ready for table games.

Jason: Yeah. I was working as a waiter at the time and getting pretty bored with that, so I figured I’d switch industries. I completed the classes, but ended up finding a different job altogether.

Brandon James: What does that have to do with Atlantic City, though? Also, you worked as a player services rep, right?

Jason: That’s right. I pretty much applied for everything they had open. They liked that I could be trained to deal, had that ever been needed, and that’d I’d already have some idea of what I was learning. Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have, it’d been a few years since I had even completed those classes.

Brandon James: Good enough. So, you went out there to party and ended up working?

Jason: Not exactly. My brother and I didn’t have much out here going on in the long-term sense, I still don’t really, so we figured after we got done partying we’d drive the other guys home and go back out and stay at a dive motel for a couple weeks, see if we could find anything.

Brandon James: That seems like a spur of the moment decision!

Jason: Meh. So was going out there in the first place. We’d both had a little vacation time at work, were working at the same place then, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Brandon James: Did you both find jobs?

Jason: Yeah. He got a cooking job in Egg Harbor. He’s still out there. He’s kind of a supervisor of the cooks now, he likes it. I got a job at a Wal-Mart, at first, and then ended up working the casino six months later. Some of the people there were actually a little pissed (other employees) when they found out I didn’t have any casino experience before that. I guess a ton of casinos had closed and it seemed like everyone had a buddy with casino experience and no casino job.

Brandon James: That is somewhat surprising.

Jason: Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe they just wanted fresh people.

Brandon James: I think it might have more to do with the fact that The Taj Mahal paid less than the others, I think the agreement with the union was different, but maybe they figured you wouldn’t have so much a problem with that.

Jason: I don’t know. All I know is they hired me.

Brandon James: You basically went to work for a casino that was in the middle of the failing process. Did that concern you at all?

Jason: Not really, because I could just always move back here, so that’s what I ended up doing, anyway. Like I said, I have family from around here, my Mom, that sort of thing. She owns a house that’ll be left to my brother and I anyway, so it’s like, sometimes I have my own place and sometimes I don’t. I don’t have any kids, so no big deal.

Brandon James: What made you want to live out in Atlantic City?

Jason: It’s a new place. I’d only been to the ocean once or twice in my life before that, so that’s where you would find me almost every day when I wasn’t working. I wouldn’t mind having that back, but I think I’ll try California next if I move again.

Brandon James: What about Vegas?

Jason: Vegas doesn’t have an ocean. I don’t even really like gambling that much, anymore, as far as being a customer goes. I mean, if the drinks are free, I would.

Brandon James: I like your priorities. So, the union went on strike, did you just leave?

Jason: Basically. I probably could have been a scab and kept working, or did something. Pretty much everyone knew that the writing was on the wall, though. I thought about applying for jobs at other casinos, but you figure there are going to be hundreds or maybe even a thousand people doing that, anyway. I had some money saved up, so I just paid the rest of my share of the rent and stuff for that month and told them I was heading back home.

Brandon James: Them?

Jason: Oh, sorry. My brother and I had one other roommate.

Brandon James: Your brother stayed out there you said?

Jason: Yeah, he thought about moving back, too, but he liked his job out there. I’ve been out to see him a few times since then. They had to curb their spending a little bit, but they could afford the place without me and they found another roommate.

Brandon James: Did you have any trouble finding a job when you got back out here?

Jason: Yes and no. It took me a couple of weeks, but I still had some money left, so I wasn’t trying too hard. I was in a gas station for a bit before I got this job. That sucked.

Brandon James: Do you think you’ll stay in the casino industry?

Jason: I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve made management anywhere, or anything. The nice thing about being basically single and not having any kids is that you don’t really need to be highly motivated to sustain that kind of lifestyle. Especially since I can just move back into my Mom’s house anytime I want.

Brandon James: What was it like when the strike was announced?

Jason: Pretty much everyone knew it was a death sentence, Icahn himself said that would be the end if it happened, right? Most of the people had already lived out there for several years, though, some had families. What are they going to do other than hope for the situation to get fixed? Some of the people I knew who were married or living together, they were with someone who worked at a different casino, so you really can’t just pick up and move depending on your situation.

Brandon James: Did the other employees who were striking know that would end the casino?

Jason: They weren’t really saying that, but I think they kind of knew. The problem is that you have the same union with better labor contracts at other casinos, so what are they going to do...not strike? They’d look like they didn’t have any backbone and the whole thing was a bluff to back down.

Brandon James: I get that. I just figured a lot of employees would figure, “This job is better than no job.”

Jason: They probably did, it’s not like the vote on whether or not to strike was only Taj Mahal employees. If it had been, then I think there may not have been a strike.

Brandon James: Many of the employees probably recognized that the property had been and was continuing to lose money.

Jason: I don’t know the politics of it, but yeah, most people probably got that. I mean, I understood why there couldn’t be raises or anything like that. The place was falling apart as it was, so you had to reinvest in the property. That takes money.

Brandon James: Are you going to go up and take a look when the Hard Rock opens?

(Brief explanation that Hard Rock International bought the property)

Jason: Yeah, I’ve never really followed anything there after I left, so I didn’t know that. I’m sure I’ll go in and take a look assuming my brother is still out there. Like I said, I’ve visited him a few times since then anyway. If he’s not out there, I might go there and visit, but I’m not going to make it a special point to go just for that.

Brandon James: There are many people who think Atlantic City is an unsafe place to live, some think it is an unsafe place to visit, would you agree with that?

Jason: Not really. It’s pretty clear where you want to go and where you don’t want to go. I’ve always figured that you’re not usually going to find trouble you’re not already looking for. I’ve never had a problem there. Someone stole my beach towel once, but I’m pretty sure that was an accident.

Brandon James: What was it like living out there during the off season? It sounds like you’d have been there through at least one Winter, right?

Jason: I actually worked at The Taj for about two years, I guess the strike was July, so make it a little less than two years. I was out there for two Winters. Less traffic is the biggest thing, I guess, but I never really thought the traffic out there was that bad anyway. Less people in the casino, obviously, so I lost a few hours the first year...I don’t think I really lost too many hours the second year. I had a little bit of seniority by that time.

Brandon James: Do you think you’d have stayed out there if the strike had never happened?

Jason: I seriously doubt it. It was okay and everything like that, but the whole area had kind of lost its novelty the last half year or so I was there. Other than the casinos, beach and concerts, it really is kind of a boring place. The beach kind of went from being an experience to just a time killer. I probably spent more time at home playing video games than swimming or checking out the ladies the last month I was there.

Brandon James: But, you’re wanting to move somewhere near the Pacific?

Jason: I’m not saying tomorrow. Besides, it’s kind of like you don’t really miss it until it’s gone. I don’t even think you can really say I plan to, ‘live,’ in California. I plan to take an extended vacation out there that I plan to pay for by having a job. There’s no doubt that I would be coming back around here eventually. All of my friends are here.

Brandon James: Do you miss all of your friends in Atlantic City.

Jason: Not really, because I have more here. It’s really a tough place to get to know people, even really know your co-workers, because most of them have families and such. Everyone out there is either visiting or doesn’t really have a ton of extra money to go out, of the people I got to know. I do well with customers, but I kind of keep to myself most of the time anyway. Most of my friends in this area are just lifers that I knew from High School.

Brandon James: Any regrets about living out there?

Jason: Mostly no. I guess I’m kind of bummed that my brother stayed out there, so it’s been weird not having him around. Every time I’ve lived out of my Mom’s house, until the last year, obviously, he’s been my roommate. I’m glad I lived out there. I wish I had went to Philadelphia more often. One of the reasons we were juiced about living out there is that there is so much to do in Philly. We ended up going to Philly, like, twice. (Laughs)

Brandon James: Other than dealing with cash, is there any real difference between the players club and the cage?

Jason: Yes. I get yelled at a lot less now. At the players club, it seems like someone is always pissed because their card isn’t working, or there’s something that they are supposed to have that they don’t think they do...usually at The Taj it was just because they didn’t know how to use the kiosks right.

Brandon James: Any other negatives on working the players club?

Jason: Well, you get people from all over in Atlantic City, so it’s not really a race thing, but sometimes people would come up and I have no idea what the hell they’re asking me because of accents and everything.

Hopefully, nobody where I work now reads this, but some people are just idiots. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes you’ll get some lady who throws a fit because she has to give you a driver’s license to get a players card. Sometimes they don’t want to give a phone number. I obviously can’t tell them that, but it’s not like I’m going to actually call and confirm they are giving me the right number...they could say anything!

Sometimes people come up and want to check something on a card that belongs to their brother. They say it’s their brother. It could be their cousin who they are there with, according to them. Anything. They just try to hand it to you like you’re not going to ask for ID. I guess not everyone did ask for ID there, but you’re obviously supposed to and I’m going to do my job right. I imagine some of them were telling the truth, but it still has to be the actual person who comes up.

Anyway, I didn’t even really care that they were trying to do whatever or look at whatever on the cards. It’s when they’d get pissed at me like I was doing something wrong that made me unhappy. Otherwise, I really didn’t get bothered by it.

Oh, last one. People who had no idea how to understand directions would come up sometimes and ask for directions to places. I don’t mind giving directions, but some people don’t understand them, and then the people behind them get up to you and they’re already pissed because they had to wait for that. Some people just think you’re supposed to go to the players club for everything on Earth, I’ve had people ask me hotel questions and I’m thinking, “The Hell would I know?” I’ve never really had to deal with any of that at the cage. Some casinos have their cage and players club as the same thing, that would suck. People that come up to me just want change, to cash their chips or to cash their tickets.

Brandon James: Well, thanks for taking the time with me! It’s been a pleasure talking to you.

Jason: Same here.

There you have it, some general thoughts on working at The Taj, players clubs and general observations about Atlantic City. I want to thank Jason for taking the time again, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading this interview.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to put them in the comments. He gave me his number, so he told me that I could text him anything anyone has to ask.