Donald Trump’s Business Ventures You’ve Never Heard About

Harrah’s Trump, Trump Castle, The Taj Mahal & Other Casino Deals

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In 1984, the hotel/casino Harrah’s at Trump Plaza opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He also bought another building in the city from Hilton Corp. for $320 million and turned it into Trump Castle, which his then-wife, Ivana, managed. In 1988 he acquired the Taj Mahal Casino, which cost $1.1 billion to build.

The Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy but was saved in 1991, with Trump giving 50 percent ownership to bondholders. It was restructured into Trump Hotel & Casino Resorts in 1996, but the property went bankrupt again in 2004. Eventually, Trump was left with just 10 percent of ownership of the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump casino properties.