The Future of AC
"The Atlantic City Alliance is in the early phase of re-educating regional markets that Atlantic City is about much more than gaming," he said. "Ironically, the more casino gaming spreads like weeds, the more Atlantic City stands out as a unique destination because of its concentration of entertainment amenities and seaside location."
http://news.yahoo.com/nj-officials-atlantic-city-making-progress-135734905--finance.html
As a young west coaster I am not all that familiar with the history of entertainment spots in the northeast, but this sounds like a load of bull to me. I know AC was a resort town before the casinos but I just don't buy any argument that the loss of the gambling monopoly is good for AC.
Quote: bigfoot66This article appears at the front page of Yahoo right now. I like the line:
"The Atlantic City Alliance is in the early phase of re-educating regional markets that Atlantic City is about much more than gaming," he said. "Ironically, the more casino gaming spreads like weeds, the more Atlantic City stands out as a unique destination because of its concentration of entertainment amenities and seaside location."
http://news.yahoo.com/nj-officials-atlantic-city-making-progress-135734905--finance.html
As a young west coaster I am not all that familiar with the history of entertainment spots in the northeast, but this sounds like a load of bull to me. I know AC was a resort town before the casinos but I just don't buy any argument that the loss of the gambling monopoly is good for AC.
I live in an East Coast beach town, and I can't imagine going to Atlantic City for the beach. I walked the Boardwalk and it was shabby and tacky. My sister never even left the hotel. A block back from the beach was scary-looking--we kept the windows up driving in and out.
They need more than a PR campaign to make it anything but a gambling destination.
Seriously?
Go down to Delaware for the outlets with no sales tax! And stuff like Coach and Burberry! If they're targeting the "high net worth mid-Atlantic market" they need to know what draws that crowd. Golf courses are a good start, but they don't have the Myrtle Beach mild winters.
We had a rather good time. The weather was great, and the nieces enjoyed a para-sailing experience they had along with the exploration of the varied beaches along the South Jersey shore, all the way down to Cape May. They had a reasonably good time on the Boardwalk as well.
I really enjoyed the gaming along the Boardwalk. If you are willing to walk you certainly can enjoy quite a decent variety of gambling options right there. A short drive away are Borgata, Harrahs and Golden Nugget (we did not visit GN but did visit the other two). Borgata is extremely nice, of course, and I felt the Harrahs property was quite classy as CZR properties go.
All of that said, the boardwalk is home to its fair share of vagrants, and there exists abject poverty two blocks inland with no viable grocery options whatsoever. As a resort destination, it is sketchy in some important particulars in light of these logistical issues.
I would go back to AC (long trip for us), but I would not consider it as a recurring 'vacation destination' as I tend to think of Las Vegas.
This only applies to the boardwalk section, and not the marina. The hotels are separate and too far to walk, with no retail between them, so you either stay in your hotel or drive/cab it to another property.
Quote: NickyDimI visit AC once a month for the last umpteen years, and 5 years ago what most of you say was true, but in the Caesars/Ballys/Trump Plaza area Tanger outlets have opened blocks upon blocks of high end outlet shops and in the past year or so the streets are filled with young adults shopping, it's clean and there's visible law enforcement. It's quite noticeable and NJ's efforts can be seen. Granted it's only a few blocks that have changed but it is expanding and the report does say it's only the start. A couple of years ago I would never have left the casino and ventured out onto the blocks of Atlantic, Artic and Baltic(I never had a problem going out on the boardwalk), but today it's become enjoyable leisuring around.
This only applies to the boardwalk section, and not the marina. The hotels are separate and too far to walk, with no retail between them, so you either stay in your hotel or drive/cab it to another property.
They need to get the word out farther south! I went back this winter after a three-year absence but by that time we had conditioned ourselves to staying in place all weekend long.
Quote: NickyDimI visit AC once a month for the last umpteen years, and 5 years ago what most of you say was true, but in the Caesars/Ballys/Trump Plaza area Tanger outlets have opened blocks upon blocks of high end outlet shops and in the past year or so the streets are filled with young adults shopping, it's clean and there's visible law enforcement. It's quite noticeable and NJ's efforts can be seen. Granted it's only a few blocks that have changed but it is expanding and the report does say it's only the start. A couple of years ago I would never have left the casino and ventured out onto the blocks of Atlantic, Artic and Baltic(I never had a problem going out on the boardwalk), but today it's become enjoyable leisuring around.
This only applies to the boardwalk section, and not the marina. The hotels are separate and too far to walk, with no retail between them, so you either stay in your hotel or drive/cab it to another property.
Nicky, I agree with you on this as regards the Outlets. Forgot to mention them. But didn't the two ladies from Canada get killed in the area roughly between the Outlets and the Boardwalk? I made that walk once or twice while there and did not feel too bad about it. But I sure wanted to be with my wife and the other females for their safety when traversing between the Boardwalk and the Outlets.
P.S. I also agree that Sports betting is going to be a key for AC going forward.
Quote: NickyDimThe cop on patrol responded in 13 seconds, and the hospital was literally 2 blocks away where they were taken alive.
It was a lot longer than 13 seconds that the officer watched the defendant harass and argue with the elderly Canadian tourist right outside Bally's main entrance before he fatally shot her. And it was a lot longer when patrol cars followed a suspect for serial rape when he lured a woman into his van and attacked and raped her. The officers didn't make their move to arrest until after the rape and the woman had fled the van screaming. Something is radically wrong with law enforcement and absolutely no one wants to discuss the problem. But any halfway informed visitor has probably heard at least something about these cases. And they are far graver than the murder that started in the Taj Mahal garage.
Quote: 24BingoAtlantic City's been Atlantic City a lot longer than Vegas has been Vegas.
I am not sure I understand you. AC was changed radically by gambling was it not? Vegas has been more or less the same gambling/sex/sin vice town since at least when Bugsy built the Flamingo.
Quote: bigfoot66As a young west coaster I am not all that familiar with the history of entertainment spots in the northeast, but this sounds like a load of bull to me. I know AC was a resort town before the casinos but I just don't buy any argument that the loss of the gambling monopoly is good for AC.
Quote: Governor ChristieThis summer New Jersey's unemployment rate had risen to 9.2 percent, a full percent higher than the national rate . Christie announced that the increase just meant people are more optimistic and are jumping back into the job market.
"Yes, it used to be beautiful - what with the rackets, whoring, guns.
Sometimes..sometimes things would happen, I'd have to kill a few people.
I'd feel bad for a while,
But then I'd jump into the ocean, swim way out
Then I'd come back in feeling nice and clean, start all over again.
The Atlantic Ocean was something then.
Yes, you should have seen the Atlantic Ocean in those days."
Lou (Burt Lancaster)
Atlantic City (1980)
I've been playing in AC since 1985.
The thinking was always that the beach, ocean, and boardwalk were going to be enough
when people wanted something to other than gamble.
The casinos were short sighted and didn't do enough to make the rest of the city an attractive destination.
Some steps have been taken, but more are needed.
AC only has 40000 people but has all the problems of a big city.
However, not many places have 12 casinos, a 100 meter wide beach and an ocean.
I love the beach and the ocean,
especially in the dead of winter when it is empty.
Even though I can get a better game of blackjack in PA,
I still go to AC two or three times a month from NYC.
There are a lot of people who feel the same way about AC,
But there is no way that all of these casinos are going to survive
when live table games come to NYC and NY state in 2014.
In fact, I am wondering how many will be around in Spring 2013...
Quote: WongBoBut there is no way that all of these casinos are going to survive when live table games come to NYC and NY state in 2014. In fact, I am wondering how many will be around in Spring 2013...
I agree that AC will have some major overhauls in 2014 when New York gets full-service gambling. And I agree that Atlantic City is a destination, which means it will never completely go away.
I think Spring 2013 might be a bit of an exaggeration. I would have said Atlantic Club would have disappeared by then, but they took the necessary steps to save the place. Trump Marina would likely have be out too, except Golden Nugget/Landry's seems to care about the property. Resorts could also be a chopping block candidate, except with Mohegan Sun taking over the casino operations, it will probably be spared too. Of course Revel is in dire financial trouble, but somebody will buy the property. Trump Plaza is the only casino that may not make it beyond Spring 2013.
I do think that a lot of the casino ownership will change this coming year. Although highly unlikely, don't be surprised in Ameristar and/or Penn take ownership of an AC property. I can't see Penn wanting any property, and Ameristar would only be interested in a slot-focused casino that could fit their model. I predict CET will try to sell off Showboat or Bally's this coming year if they can find a buyer. There might also be some individual groups that come in and try to buy off some places, like Full House Entertainment or the Kewadins (examples only; I don't know either group's financial position).
Since I'm no longer on the East Coast, it's unlikely I'll get out to AC again, but I hope for the people who live, work and play there that it can get it together and save the town.
... until the neighboring states also add sports betting.Quote: sodawaterThe only thing that will save AC is sports betting. If they can make that happen there will be an AC renaissance like you wouldn't believe.
There is a nice walk near the water's edge, under the Brigantine bridge, from Golden Nugget to Harrah's. It's a lot shorter than you'd think. It continues on from Harrah's to Borgata.Quote: NickyDimThis only applies to the boardwalk section, and not the marina. The marina hotels are separate and too far to walk, with no retail between them, so you either stay in your hotel or drive/cab it to another property.
1. It's very true that most of the town two blocks from any casino is rundown/depressing/dangerous....they've made some progress in this area, most noteably the Walk shopping area behind Bally's..but they have a long way to go. It's better than it was even 4 or 5 years ago but still pretty bad. Especially the north end of strip near Taj/Showboat/Revel...looks like Beruit circa 1982. Lots of rubble.
2. Obviously AC is getting killed by massive increased competition. The only way to fight back against that would be to offer things other states can't or won't. Sports betting seems like the obvious choice. NV has had a monopoly on that for far too long. I don't think that alone would save AC but it would help. I don't see other states adding it. Look how much trouble NJ is having they are being fought every step of the way by MLB, NFL, etc. I know Del. dabbles in sports betting but it's in the form of parlays, which is half-assed at best.
3. As for the number of casinos...this is more complicated than I think some people realize. There is some economic advantage to a certain critical mass in any economic arena. Example: the diamond district in NY or any shopping Mall/Center. People go there because they have mutltiple options. That said, keeping multiple options for gaming in AC is cruical to it's survival. The more casinos close, and some almost certainly will (2 in my guess). The less attractive AC becomes as a "gaming" destination. However I would have bet the former Hilton (now Atl. Club), and Trump Marina(now Golden Nugget) would have been closed by now. But they seem to be developing a nitch for themselves.
4. Summary: AC is too established to ever completely go away, however they're at a crossroads. Down one path, a slow decline toward increasing irrelavance. Down the other, a long slow tough battle to regain market share and compete in a ever changing marketplace. Either way it should be interesting to watch.
next AC casino to close
