Remember When Atlantic City Was the Place to Be in the Summer?

The "Boardwalk Empire" the way it used to be.

ByABC News
July 15, 2014, 2:21 PM

— -- Atlantic City isn't the "Boardwalk Empire" it once used to be.

Trump Plaza sent notices to 1,153 workers on Monday ahead of its expected September closure.

PHOTO: Vera Coking's rooming house in Atlantic City, N.J., pictured, July 8, 2014, will be auctioned off this month.
Vera Coking's rooming house in Atlantic City, N.J., pictured, July 8, 2014, will be auctioned off this month.

“Although this review has not been completed and no final decision has been made, the company expects that it will terminate the operations of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino on or shortly after September 16, 2014,” the company said in the statement.

PHOTO: This June 23, 2014 photo shows a sign advertising for development on an oceanfront parcel of land in Atlantic City, N.J.
This June 23, 2014 photo shows a sign advertising for development on an oceanfront parcel of land in Atlantic City, N.J.

The Showboat Casino Hotel, owned by Caesars Entertainment, will close in August. This follows the closure of The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in January, and a possible closure of Revel in August if it doesn't find a buyer.

PHOTO: A greeting card from Atlantic City, N.J., circa 1930.
A greeting card from Atlantic City, N.J., circa 1930.

While Atlantic City casinos heard some good news this week about rising revenue, casino revenue is far from its heyday of the 1940s and '50s.

PHOTO: People walking on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, N.J., 1938.
People walking on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, N.J., 1938.

The 11 casinos that operated in both 2014 and 2013 increased their revenue by almost 4 percent last month, the Associated Press reported. Without the Atlantic Club, the casinos earned $235.9 million in June, up from $227.1 million last year. A large driver of the increase is attributed to the $9.5 million in Internet gambling winnings that were recently legalized.

PHOTO: A cameraman films contestants in the Miss America Pageant as they walk on the beach next to the boardwalk at Atlantic City, N.J., Jan. 9, 1939.
A cameraman films contestants in the Miss America Pageant as they walk on the beach next to the boardwalk at Atlantic City, N.J., Jan. 9, 1939.

More than 7,000 Atlantic City casino workers, about a quarter of that total workforce, have been warned their jobs could be eliminated within 60 days, the Associated Press reported.

PHOTO: A crowded beach is seen with the boardwalk and hotels of Atlantic City, N.J. in the background, circa 1940s.
A crowded beach is seen with the boardwalk and hotels of Atlantic City, N.J. in the background, circa 1940s.

New competition from other regional casinos has put pressure on Atlantic City's gambling and entertainment offerings.

PHOTO: Nightime view of crowds gathering outside the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, N.J., July 1, 1941.
Nightime view of crowds gathering outside the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, N.J., July 1, 1941.

In addition to Internet gambling, casinos are hoping summer music concerts and other beach-side entertainment will help boost attendance.

PHOTO: Publicity still of Dorothy Dandridge, Buck and Bubbles and Louis Armstrong on stage in the film "Atlantic City," 1944
Publicity still of Dorothy Dandridge, Buck and Bubbles and Louis Armstrong on stage in the film "Atlantic City," 1944. (Photo by John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images)

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, one of the few properties not located on the boardwalk, said its gross gaming revenue comprises about 23.6 percent of market share in the Atlantic City area year-to-date, up over two basis points from the prior year.

Borgata senior vice president and spokesperson, Joe Lupo, told ABC News that Borgata is continuing to increase market share. He attributes the growth to the property's "aggressive" approach to the regional market, not just Atlantic City, in promoting its property, including its many restaurants.

"We’ve always been trying to grow the base and speak to the Atlantic 'rejector,' who flew to Las Vegas and wouldn’t come here, with different amenities and entertainment as a way to drive business."