Two Gamblers Take NJ Casino for $11M

Winning craps player leaves $150K tip
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2011 1:39 AM CDT
Updated Jun 8, 2011 3:35 AM CDT
Two Gamblers Take Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino for $11M
The Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. was bought by Carl Icahn last year.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

The balance sheet of Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino has taken a pounding from a pair of high rollers who won more than $5 million each just 6 weeks apart. A blackjack player beat the casino for $5.8 million in April and a craps player won $5.3 million last week, leaving a $150,000 tip that was shared among dealers on duty that night, AP reports. Officials for the casino, bought out of bankruptcy last year by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, say they're sticking with their new emphasis on high-stakes table games play, despite the huge losses.

"Mr. Icahn and his company understand that with this strategy, there is a little bit of volatility,” Tropicana president Tony Rodio tells the Press of Atlantic City. “Sometimes you’re the bug, and sometimes you’re the windshield." Both of the big winners have been invited back to the casino. "If someone wants to take the shot, we'll take the action," Rodio says. (More Carl Icahn stories.)

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