Donald Trump to sell off casinos?

Shares in the casino company that bears Donald Trump's name rose nearly 8 percent Friday on speculation that the casinos are up for sale.
Media outlets including CNBC and the Web site of the Star-Ledger of Newark reported Friday that Trump Entertainment Resorts, where Donald Trump is chairman, had hired Merrill Lynch to help assess several options — including selling all or some of the company's casinos.
Trump Entertainment spokesman Tom Hickey did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
But analysts said a sale of some sort would help the company, which emerged from bankruptcy protection less than two years ago.
A report from Prudential Equity Group said the company is at risk over the next two years because all of its casinos — Trump Plaza, Trump Marino and Trump Taj Mahal — are in Atlantic City, a place facing threats from coming restrictions on smoking in casinos, new slot machine parlors in the Philadelphia area and plans for machines at the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey.
"Nevertheless, the company has assets and real estate that could be attractive to a buyer interested in Atlantic City," the report said.
Adam Steinberg, who follows the casino industry for Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc., said one fix for the company would be to swap a casino for a riverboat gambling operation elsewhere to diversify its assets.
This is not the first time lately there's been talk of Trump doing a deal with one of his Atlantic City properties. Last year, gaming mogul Steve Wynn was reported to have been in talks to build a new casino on Trump-owned land in Atlantic City.
Shares of Trump Entertainment closed Friday on the New York Stock Exchange at $18.19 — up 7.95 percent.