IN BRIEF

Atlantic City casino dealers OK union

Casino dealers at Bally’s Atlantic City voted emphatically in favor of forming a union Sunday in what both sides considered a pivotal vote in the unionization effort at the resort’s 11 casinos.

The vote by full- and part-time dealers, dual-rate dealers, keno and simulcast employees was 628-255 in favor of becoming part of the United Auto Workers union.

The Bally’s vote followed unsuccessful drives to unionize at Trump Marina Hotel Casino and the Atlantic City Hilton. Before that, in March, dealers at Caesars Atlantic City and Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino voted to join the United Auto Workers.

The union already represents dealers at three Detroit gambling halls: MGM Grand Detroit Casino, MotorCity Casino and Greektown Casino.

NEW YORK

Sony lowering price for Blu-ray players

With dominance of the market for high-definition movie discs still up in the air, Sony Corp. said today it is including a small surprise with the new Blu-ray disc player it is shipping this week: a price tag $100 lower than previously announced.

When Sony announced the BDP-S300 player in February, it put the price at $599, but it has now set a list price at $499.

Sony has been undersold in the market for high-definition disc players by Toshiba, which created the rival HD DVD format. Its players are now selling for less than $300, 14 months after Toshiba’s first player appeared in U.S. stores.