The Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey sits regally at 1000 Boardwalk amidst the busy casino district along the shore. The Taj, as the Trump Taj Mahal is referred to by the locals, is one of two casinos currently owned by the prestigious Trump Entertainment Resorts Company. 
The casino at the Taj has a large poker room that rivals all others located in Atlantic City, only bested in size by the one at the Borgata. The casino also features around 75 regular game tables and 14 tournament specific tables for competitions. Open since April 2nd, 1990, the Trump Taj Mahal cost almost one billion dollars to construct. It was only fitting that Michael Jackson perform at the opening ceremony.
The obvious theme of this particular trump Hotel is obviously the Taj Mahal, in India. There are 2,248 rooms, all decorated in luxurious modern designs, as well as over 165,000 square feet of gaming space. The signature attractions of the Trump Taj Mahal are the Hard Rock Café, Steel Pier, and the Spice Road Shops, but most simply show up to gamble. It is s Trump’s third piece of property in the area.
Back in 1988, this property was enveloped in controversy before its grand opening. This property was part of the feud between Donald Trump and Merv Griffin, as well as Resorts Casino and Hotel, over the Resorts International corporation. The original name of the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City was the Resorts Taj Mahal Casino. Griffin had run out of money and construction on the Taj had ceased. Trump attempted to buy the unfinished properties, but Griffin refused to sell. Eventually an arrangement was agreed upon, leaving Trump with the Taj, and allowing it to open in 1990. The Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City was the largest casino with the highest grossing income in the city until the Borgata overthrew its reign in the year 2003. As a way to regain popularity and fight back against their competition, the Chairman Tower was added to the Taj in 2008, which added over 2,000 rooms to the hotel casino.
While staying at the Taj Mahal, guests can enjoy four fine dining restaurants on location, including Dynasty, Moon at Dynasty, Il Mulino New York, and Safari Steakhouse. For a more casual dining experience, guests can enjoy cuisine at the Hard Rock Café, Il Mulino Trattoria, the Rim Noodle Bar, Royal Albert’s Place and White House Sub Shop, among many others. For a quick meal or drink on the go, guests can also seek out Berriyo, Auntie Annie’s, Sbarro and Starbucks at their convenience.
Although some fame was gained for the Taj Mahal because the poker room was featured in the movie Rounders in 1998, the majority of its headlines were about the 2009 shooting incident. In May of 2009, a casino shift manager was shot by a man from Pennsylvania named Mark Magee. The manager was killed. Magee said that he shot the casino manager because the executives at the Trump Taj Mahal were trying to cheat players at their table games. Magee was convicted of murder and is now serving a minimum 30 year long sentence. In 2010, not long after Magee was convicted, the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City had a special park created for the memory of Ray Kot, the casino shift manager. Although they’ve been through a tragedy, and it may not be the number one casino and hotel in town anymore, the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City is still going strong.
