http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2018/01/failed_revel_is_sold_could_re-open_in_months.html
How much do you think he sunk into the property during the 2 years he owned it?
Quote: gamerfreakGlen Straub purchased the Revel for $82 million and sold it for $200 million.
How much do you think he sunk into the property during the 2 years he owned it?
Didn’t he end up buying the power plant during his tenure?
A bigger question is how AC can handle 2 more properties? Not enough new business so it’s coming from someone. I see Bally’s, Resorts and GN taking the biggest hits.
Quote: BozDidn’t he end up buying the power plant during his tenure?
A bigger question is how AC can handle 2 more properties? Not enough new business so it’s coming from someone. I see Bally’s, Resorts and GN taking the biggest hits.
I'm probably going to write an article about this, so I won't go into too much detail here. I'm mainly looking to see how AC finished the year from a standpoint of overall revenue before I rush to any judgments.
This might be a bit preemptive, but here are my opinions as to what you said:
1.) I agree 100% on Bally's. Bally's has pretty much been the under performer even as the overall revenue situation in A.C. has improved. Beyond that, its existence is redundant to Caesars. In fact, as November, Bally's is the only casino DOWN year-over-year compared to 2016...though not by much.
Either way, it shows that they did not manage to capitalize on Taj closing.
2.) I don't know if I agree with Resorts, or not. The only reason I'm not so sure is because they may benefit from increased foot traffic on that end of the Boardwalk.
The only reason I'm somewhat inclined to agree with you is that Oceans and Hard Rock will be almost as new status and Resorts will have to heavy target low rollers pretty exclusively. Up 11.1% YTD as of November, Resorts has enjoyed the second largest gain only to Tropicana (+15.9%) who obviously has the database of the Taj Mahal to work with. Obviously, Tropicana is well under Taj Mahal + Tropicana last year as they lost some Taj business to other casinos.
Specifically, Tropicana (as November) is up 44,098,879 in live casino win for the year whereas Taj accounted for $125,094,031 for the entire year and closed early October...I think it was.
Thus, they're up for this year about 35.14% of the total revenue for the Taj Mahal last year, which will either slightly increase or decrease depending on how December goes.
3.) I'm pretty sure I disagree with you on Golden Nugget. GN has historically been pretty aggressive on tier matching and offer matching, and they cater pretty well to low-mid type rollers. I don't think Resorts will take much from them and I'm not really convinced the former Revel or Hard Rock are really going to be targeting the Golden Nugget's customers, at least, not with any exclusivity.
I could see Golden Nugget dropping back to where they were in 2016 or 2015, but I'd be really surprised if they get knocked down to where they were in 2014.
Overall
I agree that someone has to be in trouble overall, though, because I believe AC is going to be back at a point where not all of the casinos can be sustained, especially in light of some new regional competitors that didn't exist when the floor fell through.
Besides that, as of November, at a hair under 13M this is the first year that AC has enjoyed overall gains (year-over-year) in live casino win in a decade, but it still only represents gains of 0.5% since last year, barring anything huge coming in for December.
Perhaps most importantly, 2017 is the ONLY year that beats any year in live casino win in the last decade, and it only beats 2016. Which means that every year other than 2016 dating back to...I don't even know when...had better overall live win than will 2017.
With all of that, and I could be wrong, but barring in bringing market share that did not go to AC at all this year, I don't know how they are going to go about sustaining two more casinos, particularly not of the scope of these two properties. Some people have discussed not being buried under Revel's massive debt anymore, and that's true, but that position also fails to take into account that they didn't even meet operating expenses most months. In fact, I think there was only one month in which they did, and that took a $100,000 loss rebate to draw that kind of revenue.
The beach is an obvious attraction, but ultimately there’s needs to be more. The boardwalk is just sad, half the buildings are boarded up and it has none of the old school charm that it got so well known for before casino gambling.
They need to host some residencies with B-list acts or some sort of other high exposure event, AC used to be the boxing capital and now there’s nothing.
Quote: WatchMeWinI think the bigger picture here is something no one is talking about... sports betting in AC! It is inevitable. I feel that they are opening these casinos with the expectation of sports betting becoming legal in NJ. Otherwise, it would be foolish to continue to saturate the city with more casinos when people in any state can go to their local spot to eat, drink, gamble and see shows. AC is not the destination it once was. Sure, summertime they can draw from the beach crowd.. but that's it.
That's an interesting take, and it would certainly be interesting to see some results from a locale aside from Nevada. Of course, none outside of Nevada (but still in this country) exist.
However, UNLV has tracked the sports betting win from 1984-2016 and has published the results:
http://gaming.unlv.edu/reports/NV_sportsbetting.pdf
The most interesting column, in my opinion, is the percentage of the casinos' total win that actually comes by way of the sports books. I find it interesting because, in terms of total casino win, the range since 2000 has been 1.07% (2004) to 2.09% (2015). 2015 beat the previous high in that regard, which is the 2.06% had in 2014. I'm not sure why, but there was a big jump from 2011-2012 and then again from 2012-2013 which now seems to be basically sustained.
Either way, if we take the total live gaming win of 2,406,012,100 for 2016 in AC (the most recent year for which we have full data) and we call it 2%, then we would expect:
2406012100 * .02 = 48,120,242
Which is to say a revenue increase of about 48 million dollars.
While substantial, that revenue, which would in some way be divided amongst the entire city, only represents roughly 27.8% of Resorts revenue for 2016 in terms of live casino win, and Resorts was the worst-performing casino in raw revenue numbers in 2016.
You mention the AC Summer crowd, and I also think that is another reason why sports betting will not increase revenues such in terms of live casino to justify or support two more properties on its own. The big problem being that, by far, football and basketball (mostly Winter sports) are the two biggest sports from a betting standpoint. In fact, there were a few years that football narrowly topped basketball and baseball, combined.
It's definitely a consideration, especially if they end up being able to accept such bets online from NJ residents. I think that the online opportunity is also a consideration as it requires having a physical presence in the state. With that, you had five websites that divided up almost 200M in 2016 and 224.8M YTD as of November 2017 with one more month on the clock that will be reported in a few days.
In the end, I think at least one casino will have to close to accommodate the other two. At least one. Either that, or one of those two may ultimately fail. Even with the additional revenue streams, I really don't see how something the size and scope of Revel and Hard Rock operate profitably without at least one other property closing. Even with the sports and online betting, I just don't think AC's revenue ceiling is high enough.
I mean, you can have online and AC YTD for November of 2017 is still a rounding error from 200M less than what the city did in just Live Casino Win back in 2013.
Now, you also had Trump Plaza, Showboat and Atlantic Club, (Ocean replaces Revel and Hard Rock replaces Taj Mahal) but I just don't know that you make up the revenue from these two other potential outlets to enable everyone to survive. The previous three generated 264.3M, combined, in total revenue to that point and all closed.
Looking at just Live Casino Win, the current AC operators are 427.8M down compared to 2013, November YTD for 2017. The operators who are now closed did a total of 580.8M in Live Casino Win in that point in 2013, so that includes Trump Plaza, Showboat, Atlantic Club, Revel and Taj Mahal.
What you're left with in potential Live Casino Win is about 153M to be split among two very large properties, as well as online and the potential for sports betting. That's not even close to what Resorts, the casino with the poorest gaming win in dollars and cents, has earned this year in live casino win.
Yeah...the more I look into this, the more I think someone will have to go. Bally's certainly. Beyond that is anyone's guess. Maybe Resorts. Maybe one of the two new places themselves.
If Hard Rock has good live shows often and if they do a good job modernizing the casino and renovating the worn out Taj rooms they have a chance to draw a somewhat younger crowd too.
It will be interesting to see how everyone reacts and competes with each other....
Quote: gamerfreakI also feel as though there’s is a lack of non-gambling entertainment in AC. Locals, regulars, and gambling addicts are all great but there needs to be more reasons for touristy people who may or may not casually gamble to come to AC.
The beach is an obvious attraction, but ultimately there’s needs to be more. The boardwalk is just sad, half the buildings are boarded up and it has none of the old school charm that it got so well known for before casino gambling.
They need to host some residencies with B-list acts or some sort of other high exposure event, AC used to be the boxing capital and now there’s nothing.
I think a residency would be tough because the same people are only going to come see the same act a limited number of times, and I'm guessing that number is either one or two.
I don't know what you're going to do other than a full upgrade as far as the rest is concerned. Regionally speaking, Atlantic City is surrounded by (mostly) newer casinos, with some still being added. In terms of the beach scene, there are nicer beaches in nicer and more tourist-friendly areas. There are obviously nicer Boardwalks along the Atlantic and other ocean-facing casinos in better areas for the gambling inclined. Now, a person might not always get to stay on property directly, but hell, I bet there are some wives who are happier not to be.
I don't know and I could be wrong, but I think they are doing the best thing they could be doing by way of gunning pretty exclusively for those inclined to gamble. When you say, "May or may not gamble," if the answer is, 'Not,' then I really don't see why that person would ever bother going to AC.
In fact, I write about gambling...and if we're able to take a vacation with the kids this year, we're planning on hitting the Atlantic, but not Atlantic City.
Quote: ECoasterRevel still has the strange layout that involves a LOT of walking. That isn't going to draw the older crowd, which is a big part of the gamblers I always see at GN and Resorts. On the other hand, Revel is the cleanest and most modern property in AC, by far... If they get the club and the pools open again, they just might draw some of the younger crowd away from places like Borgata, Harrah's, and maybe Trop.
I definitely agree with everything that you said above. I can't claim to know their marketing strategy, but I can't imagine that the Ocean whatever is going to be really trying to target Golden Nugget and Resorts clientele. Borgata makes well over those two casinos combined, and there are a few others that come reasonably close to making as much as those two combined.
In terms of target market, I would say yes to anyone else too, but I think they will be targeting Borgata customers hard. Probably the same with Hard Rock...Hard Rock is pumping a ton of money into the old Taj Mahal. Just getting the former Taj's market share back from GN, Resorts and Trop isn't going to be enough to keep them going...they're still going to need to draw from somewhere else.
Quote:If Hard Rock has good live shows often and if they do a good job modernizing the casino and renovating the worn out Taj rooms they have a chance to draw a somewhat younger crowd too.
They're going to have to.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2018/01/09/legal-sports-betting-18-states-could-introduce-bills-in-2018-report.html
Quote: darkozI dont think resorts is going to close aa they have the backing of the mohegan sun which wants to keep some foothold in that market
You're not the first person I've heard say that, either. I tend to agree, which is why Resorts is second on my list.
I still think it's more likely than Golden Nugget only because I think Golden Nugget is doing really well (especially as compared to a few years ago) and will continue to do really well. They were really adept at picking up players when places like Trump Plaza, Taj Mahal, Atlantic Club and arguably even Showboat closed.
That's not to say that they'll necessarily be hugely profitable in the face of this new competition, but as before, I think they can (at a minimum) hang on until whoever is going to close closes and then profit from there.
I really don't see any way that Bally's doesn't go before anyone else, with exception maybe to the two new properties themselves. Bally's is just such a completely redundant casino and will be the only one this year to pull less revenue than in 2016 even without the Taj Mahal being around. Effectively, Taj closed and they literally got less than 0 of that market share.
Quote: Mission146You're not the first person I've heard say that, either. I tend to agree, which is why Resorts is second on my list.
I still think it's more likely than Golden Nugget only because I think Golden Nugget is doing really well (especially as compared to a few years ago) and will continue to do really well. They were really adept at picking up players when places like Trump Plaza, Taj Mahal, Atlantic Club and arguably even Showboat closed.
That's not to say that they'll necessarily be hugely profitable in the face of this new competition, but as before, I think they can (at a minimum) hang on until whoever is going to close closes and then profit from there.
I really don't see any way that Bally's doesn't go before anyone else, with exception maybe to the wo new properties themselves. Bally's is just such a completely redundant casino and will be the only one this year to pull less revenue than in 2qgw016 even without the Taj Mahal being around. Effectively, Taj closed and they literally got l ss than 0 of that market share.
Its weird because i totally concur. Plus ballys rooms are atrocious. Worst rooms in ac imo
But then when catching greyhound why is it ballys seems to have much more business? When trying to leave ac if the bus is stopping at ballys you better be there too. Otherwise you are not getting a seat
So are all these bus players so small potatoes they are losing money? Must be so its weird.
GN is absolutely KILLING it online, too! Nobody else is even close. The three CET properties combine for 39.2M online while GN makes 62.5M (YTD as November) by itself.
I don't know what your usual hours are, but my experience is GN is almost inordinately slow during the day but probably has more people per device late at night than just about anywhere else. That's just a visual observation based on a sample of fewer than fourteen-thirty total days, I don't have any numbers to back it up. I imagine Bally's would really be hurting without the busses.
gn tier matches?Quote: Mission1463.) I'm pretty sure I disagree with you on Golden Nugget. GN has historically been pretty aggressive on tier matching and offer matching, and they cater pretty well to low-mid type rollers. I don't think Resorts will take much from them and I'm not really convinced the former Revel or Hard Rock are really going to be targeting the Golden Nugget's customers, at least, not with any exclusivity.
to caesars diamond? Borgata/mgm Gold?
which tier do you get?
Actually, instead of residencies featuring just one DJ, casinos should have an ongoing theme: say one always does EDM, one does hip hop, one does country.
The nightclub thing has helped keep Las Vegas going.
Quote: 100xOdds
to caesars diamond? Borgata/mgm Gold?
which tier do you get?
I would call them, I know that they did and they were one of the first ones in AC (if not the first) to make a big point of doing it. I believe they started doing it when places like Trump Plaza and Showboat and all of that started closing. I got my tier match via the Trump Taj Mahal, which Borgata was also matching at the time though GN was doing it first. Borgata was owned by the combination of MGM/Boyd at the time, and now it's exclusively MGM.
I don't know if they're still doing it or not. I think I went from the second highest at the Taj Mahal to Chairman at GN, which is the second highest there. I tried to call, but no answer. I seem to recall the 24k Club closes up shop at midnight on weekdays, but it might have been eleven or might be eleven now. I'll try to call again tomorrow, you're CET Diamond, right?
Quote: 100xOddsgn tier matches?
to caesars diamond? Borgata/mgm Gold?
which tier do you get?
Noooot trying to derail again to a different region, but the one in Laughlin would tier-match+1 anything else in the area (which basically means CET or Tropicana), so CET Diamond will end up with an Elite card. I'm not sure if that's still running this year though.
...And, frankly, I'm not actually sure what the point of that card is; the perks to the tier itself seem fairly insubstantial.
Quote: DonaldjtrumpI am pretty sure that straub was paying 2million a month to keep power and electric and what not going. Add in legal fees and I am sure he still made a nice profit.
Nice tweet
Quote: Mission146
GN is absolutely KILLING it online, too! Nobody else is even close. The three CET properties combine for 39.2M online while GN makes 62.5M (YTD as November) by itself.
The main reason that the GN does so well is because they are the only casino in NJ to have live dealer table games.
The live dealer hours are 3pm to 3am.
Its all about the benji amens! If you have plenty of money, it becomes more about the excitement and challenge associated with gambling. When you have little money and need to make money, its more about the money.
Quote: FatGeezusThe main reason that the GN does so well is because they are the only casino in NJ to have live dealer table games.
The live dealer hours are 3pm to 3am.
I assumed this was the reason... and they run TV ads about this. But, why is this the case? Is it more "realistic"? More fun? Do people like watching the women?
Quote: VenthusNoooot trying to derail again to a different region, but the one in Laughlin would tier-match+1 anything else in the area (which basically means CET or Tropicana), so CET Diamond will end up with an Elite card. I'm not sure if that's still running this year though.
...And, frankly, I'm not actually sure what the point of that card is; the perks to the tier itself seem fairly insubstantial.
yeah GN tier benefits, even at the highest level, is underwhelming. :(
https://www.goldennugget.com/globalassets/atlantic-city/_pdfs/24k-select-tier-benefits.pdf
you can tier match with Caesars Diamond but have to earn 12.5k tier points within 3 months to keep that matched tier level.
Any reason to try to get 12.5k points at GN over trying to get Tropicana's Gold level, if you only have time on your trip to do 1?
Quote: 100xOddsyeah GN tier benefits, even at the highest level, is underwhelming. :(
https://www.goldennugget.com/globalassets/atlantic-city/_pdfs/24k-select-tier-benefits.pdf
you can tier match with Caesars Diamond but have to earn 12.5k tier points within 3 months to keep that matched tier level.
Any reason to try to get 12.5k points at GN over trying to get Tropicana's Gold level, if you only have time on your trip to do 1?
"• Complimentary access to the private Chairman’s Club"
Is that the GNAC equiv of the CET Diamond Lounge? I don't think I've ever seen (or heard of it) at GNLV/GNL.
Are you sure that's how it works now? I'm fairly certain I did my (CET Diamond) tier match in Laughlin in October, and the site says that my Elite is valid through 02/28/2018, which, as I recall, is their usual annual card tier reset date.
Woah there-- cards tiers in GNAC are 4/10/50k. GNLV/GNL are 4/24/100k!
Also, I'm not sure if it's just my account that got bork'd, but ever since I did my tier match, I can't spend any of my comp at the restaurants, whether they're at independent Landry's locations or in GNs. Which has lead to awkward moments like getting kicked out of a Claim Jumper at 11PM while I'm trying to reach any club desk to figure out what happened. Might be something to consider.
Quote: Venthus"• Complimentary access to the private Chairman’s Club"
Is that the GNAC equiv of the CET Diamond Lounge? I don't think I've ever seen (or heard of it) at GNLV/GNL.
Yes, I'm unaware if that exists anywhere except AC.
Quote: Mission146Yes, I'm unaware if that exists anywhere except AC.
read reviews that said the Borgata Amphora lounge is better, but Amphora costs $12.50/person.
how's the food in the Chairman’s Club compared to Caesar's atlantic city Diamond Lounge?
Quote: 100xOddsread reviews that said the Borgata Amphora lounge is better, but Amphora costs $12.50/person.
how's the food in the Chairman’s Club compared to Caesar's atlantic city Diamond Lounge?
Don't know, never been in the Diamond Lounge at Caesars AC. I enter CET properties only when it is absolutely necessary.
How much did Carl Icahn make on his purchase and now I assume sale of "Taj Mahal"?
Thanks. (he I think made money on his purchase then sale of Fountainblue in Las Vegas?)
Quote: NokTangA related question if you have a second/know...
How much did Carl Icahn make on his purchase and now I assume sale of "Taj Mahal"?
Thanks. (he I think made money on his purchase then sale of Fountainblue in Las Vegas?)
From what I recall, as no information seems publicly available:
Multiple news reports indicate that it was sold for 5%, or 50M, of the initial cost of Trump Taj Mahal.
Hard Rock originally committed to 300M to finish it, but according to this:
https://www.casino.org/news/hard-rock-atlantic-city-opening-delayed-slightly-targets-summer-2018
So, it seems much more is going in.
And, I have to tell you....I'm biased, because I'm expecting a little something in the mail.
I'm really excited. Bring on Summer '18!!!
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2018/04/02/atlantic-city-revel-ocean-resort-unbound-hyatt.html
If they combine the nicest rooms in AC with a well-run casino that's attractive to both high and lower players, this has a shot to work.
Xyz featuring our new members You Can't Lose promo.... this time we really mean it.
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2018/04/ocean_resort_reportedly_sets_opening_day_in_atlant.html
It will have casino, 5 pools (including salt water), outdoor event space, outdoor event space, and a full TopGolf location.
For anyone still interested in AC, that end of the Boardwalk with these two new refreshed properties sounds like the place to be.
Quote: ECoasterRevel / Ocean Resort is planning to open the same day as the Hard Rock this Summer.
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2018/04/ocean_resort_reportedly_sets_opening_day_in_atlant.html
It will have casino, 5 pools (including salt water), outdoor event space, outdoor event space, and a full TopGolf location.
For anyone still interested in AC, that end of the Boardwalk with these two new refreshed properties sounds like the place to be.
AC will be in the same shape as 5 years ago in a year or two, maybe sooner. Too many casinos for the market when fall and winter comes. Could be good for the players or 3-4 just lock the doors.
Quote: BozAC will be in the same shape as 5 years ago in a year or two, maybe sooner. Too many casinos for the market when fall and winter comes. Could be good for the players or 3-4 just lock the doors.
I loooooove going to AC in the off season. I feel like I have Ceasar’s Palace to myself.
Quote: gamerfreakI loooooove going to AC in the off season. I feel like I have Ceasar’s Palace to myself.
It literally is that on the 2nd floor in the winter, almost scary. More homeless sleeping trying to stay warm than players. Of course not an open restaurant either.
Quote: BozIt literally is that on the 2nd floor in the winter, almost scary. More homeless sleeping trying to stay warm than players. Of course not an open restaurant either.
I haven’t really noticed the closed restaurants. We normally eat at Ramsay’s pub or the Continental if we are staying at Caesar’s.
They do have whacky buffet hours though.
Quote: WatchMeWinI think the bigger picture here is something no one is talking about... sports betting in AC! It is inevitable. I feel that they are opening these casinos with the expectation of sports betting becoming legal in NJ. Otherwise, it would be foolish to continue to saturate the city with more casinos when people in any state can go to their local spot to eat, drink, gamble and see shows. AC is not the destination it once was. Sure, summertime they can draw from the beach crowd.. but that's it.
If it becomes legal in AC it becomes legal in all 50 states. You hsve to assume current casino states will amend laws to allow it. Big loser is Vegas
Quote: gamerfreakI loooooove going to AC in the off season. I feel like I have Ceasar’s Palace to myself.
There is no Palace in AC. It's just Caesar's.
Quote: aceofspadesI've both Tweeted and emailed The Ocean AC asking if they will be sending out invites to former Revel black tier card holders -- no response -- guess they are picking up where Revel's customer service left off
Well to be fair they may not have hired people to deal with customers just yet. They are still in renovation phase
Call them a week prior to opening i suggest. Then form an opinion
That really pisses me off. It also sucks when you are traveling and everything closes at 9 or 10 and you cant get anything to eat.Quote: BozOf course not an open restaurant either.
Quote: AxelWolfThat really pisses me off. It also sucks when you are traveling and everything closes at 9 or 10 and you cant get anything to eat.
7-11. Lots of choices :)
Quote: FatGeezusQuote: gamerfreakI loooooove going to AC in the off season. I feel like I have Ceasar’s Palace to myself.
There is no Palace in AC. It's just Caesar's.
It’s Gamerfreak’s palace in the winter.