ATLANTIC CITY-- Confronted with the sagging economy, and some local issues, several Atlantic City casinos have been forced to cut their labor force.

Thursday a spokesperson for Harrah's Entertainment says that layoffs in the resort are imminent, citing the economic environment and mounting competition in Pennsylvania and New York.

Atlantic City casinos have suffered through the first annual revenue decline and the worst single month decline in the resorts 30 year gambling history.

"...Local 54 members are quietly concerned about what's going on," said Bob McDevitt, President of Local 54.

"...There's been a significant softening in the mid-week market...I know a lot of the hotels are down to 60% occupancy," said McDevitt.

Besides the weak economy, McDevitt points to two other challenges that Atlantic City has had to contend with: increased competition from Pennsylvania gaming halls, and the recent casino smoking ban, "....we've seen numbers slip since the smoking ban was put into effect...how much of that is the smoking ban...we're not sure."

Optimistic that there won't be any additional layoffs in the near future, McDevitt says he's also confident that some good can come from this difficult situation, "....this is an opportunity to bring up the service standards, get creative with the companies, do everything we can to bring those customers back and make Atlantic City a place that people want to come to, even in a time of economic strain."