In a strange twist, thousands of available and laid off casino workers was a factor in a call center company deciding to locate in Atlantic City.
The $33 million in state tax breaks the company will receive didn’t hurt either.
The company—Atlantic City Contact Center, a subsidiary of Hollygold Associates—will receive about $33 million in tax credits from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
The company promises to create more than 300 jobs in the Atlantic City area.
The company was also looking at possibly locating in Las Vegas, officials said.
“There are people available in both cities,” Warren Golden, company president told Philly.com. “We really believe the laid-off casino workers have the kind of customer-service orientation we need. We think it will be a natural fit.”
Golden told the website said he expects to start hiring in August. The average pay will be $12 to $13 an hour, he said, and “hours will vary.” The center will be staffed 24 hours a day, according to the authority. Golden said calls will be routed from California to either the Philippines or Atlantic City.
The center will be located at the Claridge Hotel, Golden said, a former casino now operating as a non-casino hotel.
