Posts Tagged ‘Atlantic City’
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
It is no secret that Atlantic City once was a gambling center for the US. Next to Las Vegas, it was the largest place to wager and take advantage of. Millions of gamers every year did just that– took advantage of the huge bonuses the city offered. Then the recession began. That was the beginning of problems for the market with people stopping their wagering activities immediately. They had problems with their bills and had no discretionary funds to speak of. This posed a huge problem for Atlantic City since its entire revenue stream was built on people’s discretionary funds. The area gaming operators created bonuses and promotions and cut costs, but nothing was effective at reviving the market. They were left with seriously diminished revenue and few options to increase that. They had to just wait out the difficult recessionary times. Now that the recession is over though, there are still few signs of revival. This is cause for major concern with casinos because their markets are so far down in numbers. Last month the city posted another loss. This time it was another considerable one—it was a loss of 13% since one month prior. This is horrible news for a market that already had gone through two mass layoffs. Area residents are concerned about the economy and their own job security.
The string of bad luck has plagued the market for months now. It was September that the first notable decline in numbers was noted and it hasn’t gotten better for Q4 of 2010. Now that casino operators are looking to 2011, they can only hope that things change. The state is toying with various online gambling laws that could turn things around. These laws would open the door for money to be brought in to sustain the state’s budget. The problem though is that though the state may find funding it needs, that doesn’t mean casinos in Atlantic City will. They will be left to struggle and find ways of reviving their own markets. Considering that is what they have been doing for months now with little change, things are not looking good.
Tags: Atlantic City, recession, revenue
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Monday, December 13th, 2010
It is no secret that Atlantic City has been struggling as of late. The former gambling Mecca was hit hard by the recession and has been having problems with recovery. There are casinos in the area that have long been struggling. Operators have been creating new promotions to bring in more gamers, but their tactics have not been working. There is just too much competition from neighboring state’s casinos. Plus, with the rise of the internet gambling market, this is proving to be a difficult time for casinos in New Jersey. Another problem the casinos there had to face was their overwhelming reliance on gambling as their main industry. When the recession happened, people almost immediately stopped wagering, or at minimum cut back on their wagering habits dramatically. This caused a lot of problems for a market that was predominantly built on gambling. now people are wagering again, but with the added options in the market Atlantic City is no longer the first choice.
Still, Atlantic City is having some good luck. Recently a player ended up at the Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City casino and walked out with a whopping progressive jackpot of $7.3 million. The lucky player, identified only as “Tom” was a loyal customer in the casino for thirty years to the day when he ended up at this particular progressive game. He played the $5 progressive and walked away with the huge jackpot win. His game of choice was Diamond Cove- a popular slots game in the market. It is a wheel-of-fortune style game with a great progressive. You can get in on the fun at the game and test your own luck at it, just like Tom did. This is great news for the casino and for the area. Operators are hoping that this huge win will do a lot to promote their gambling centers and push people to get in on wagering in Atlantic City again. If they remember how lucrative games can be and how hard operators work to build big promotions for them to enjoy, then maybe people will return to the casinos they have to offer. It is headline news for anyone to win that kind of payout, but in Atlantic City it is more promotion than the city could cook up for itself on its own.
Tags: Atlantic City, Harrah, million, payout, win
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Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Atlantic City may have more problems on its hands coming in the next few months. It is no secret that since the recession the New Jersey gambling hot spot has not gained back the momentum it had pre-recession. People stopped wagering all over the world when the financial state of the economy was at its worst. This was logical and experts predicted that they would not return to the gaming tables until some clear signs of a revival of the market were seen. Slowly people did start to see change and very slowly they began wagering again, but not in the same numbers they were before. Another repercussion of the recession too was that people were no longer interested in high-dollar wagering. Most people resigned themselves to paying the low pay or free play games that a casino offered. In New Jersey though, things were even worse. No one returned to Atlantic City once the recession was declared officially “over.” The city of gambling remained untouched in a lot of ways. Casino operators tried creating new specials and promotions to bring gamers in, but so far nothing has worked to restore it to its former days of glory. In fact, the city has already had to cut jobs in mass numbers twice. If things don’t turn around soon, they could have to do it again.
Now Atlantic City officials are worried about the expansion of gambling in other states. New York is the latest state to push for an increase in wagering. The state sees how lucrative gambling is and wants to capitalize on the numbers soon. It is the Stockbridge-Munsee tribal community that wants to bring their own version of casino gambling near the state and if the deal is approved, it would change the area market completely. So far they already have the approval of Governor Patterson but are awaiting federal approval to move forward with the deal. If they are allowed to build a new casino, Atlantic City may have some stiff competition. A new casino is never good news for existing casinos and it could give New Jersey a run for its money.
Tags: Atlantic City, expand, New Jersey, New York
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Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
New Jersey has suffered a huge blow with the decline in popularity of Atlantic City. Though it once was a gambling center that rivaled Las Vegas, now it is diminishing in revenue quickly. It seems that since the recession, the area has been on the decline and nothing is changing that. Despite casinos operators promotions and advertising efforts, people are not returning to Atlantic City for their wagering needs. Part of the problem is the growing problem of neighboring competition. It is no secret that neighboring states have their own gambling plans in development. They are building state of the art land based gaming centers that are cutting down on the need to travel to Atlantic City for gambling. There was a time when Atlantic City was the only land based gaming center in the northeastern portion of the country. That is no longer the case. There are plenty of land based casinos now in neighboring states that have had the opportunity to build themselves up on the latest in technology. They have new games that are on the cusp of what technological advances are in the market. People are opting for these casinos rather than going to Atlantic City.
Add to the problems of Atlantic City the issue of online gambling. More and more gamers are choosing first to go online to wager. They know that if they wager online they have access to the same benefits and specials as they would in a land based casino. The difference though is that they can wager from the comfort of their own homes. They know that they can win just as much but cut out the travel time, the inconvenience of waiting in lines, finding parking spaces, etc. This is no longer a concern for today’s gambler. They can log into their laptop or desktop and find the same games, but a bigger selection, than they would at a land based casino. These are the two main problems that Atlantic City has to deal with and the city operators are at a standstill in what to do. So far they are meeting together to try to spur business, but things aren’t looking good.
Tags: Atlantic City, competition, New Jersey
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Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
New Jersey is a state that is pro gambling for the most part. The state’s legislators have long been pushing for the casino industry to turn things around. Part of the problem is that Atlantic City has been suffering since the recession. In fact, its numbers have been so far diminished that it is having a hard time regrouping. The market of the former gambling hub of the northeast is fading fast. Just look at casinos in the area. Many have made headlines with layoffs and more layoffs are imminent so say the casino operators. They know that though they are creating promotions to turn things around, it isn’t working. New Jersey legislators are pushing for some changes because they know that gambling is no longer a strong money maker like it once was—in fact, it is causing more people to the unemployment lines. Legislators and casino operators are looking for solutions.
One of the big solutions the market is coming up with is bringing online casino gambling into the area. The world of online gambling is growing exponentially in other locations, so New Jersey lawmakers are hoping that if they allow online versions of their casinos, it will help to return the state to former days of gambling glory. Right now legislators are pushing for blackjack, poker and baccarat to be translated to the online market. These are three of the most popular games and each one offers a strategy. Unlike games of sheer luck, these games offer hours of honing strategy. This is a sure fire way to bring gamers in. If the initiative to bring in online gambling is enough to help generate revenues, then expect more games to be brought to the virtual market. The state’s finances are low and presenting a lot of problems with budgets and deficits. The state has a twenty-percent interest in gambling and expanding to the online market will only bring in more cash revenue dollars. This is a huge draw for a state that has yet to return to its old revenue generating activities. It is offering hope to legislators. They want to turn things around proactively and are hoping that online gambling will do it.
Tags: Atlantic City, gaming, legislation, New Jersey
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Monday, November 15th, 2010
There is still bad news for Atlantic City. The city has long been suffering with decreasing revenue numbers. It isn’t without a lot of efforts though. The city has been turning things around by changing up promotions and building new games and events. It doesn’t seem to be working though. The numbers have been on a consistent spiral downward since the recession and nothing seems to be turning things around. Though the area casino are joining together to change things and brainstorm on ideas for change, it is proving to be a more difficult task than they anticipated. Part of the problem is the competition in the area. Neighboring states are building up their own casinos and these are directly stealing revenue and customers from Atlantic City casinos. Part of problems could be that Atlantic City has no new casinos with state of the art games or promotions and with its revenue stream being so diminished, it isn’t going to have these resources to upgrade its current casinos anytime soon. This is proving to be an overwhelming problem for the market right now.
Add to the competition of local casinos the fact that online gambling is increasing and this is spelling disaster for Atlantic City. The area is working hard to turn things around, but nothing seems to be working. In fact, casinos in the area have had to lay off workers by the thousands twice thus far. This is putting more people out of work. That means there are thousands of new residents who are going to have to cut back on fueling their money into the market. This could hamper the city even more from revival. Operators are working together though and not showing signs of quitting. They may have to go through more major cutbacks and those may include more layoffs. Though this is bad news, it could help the casinos to continue operating altogether. This may give them the time needed to truly turn the market around and start generating revenue again. Only time will tell whether or not the “wait and see” plan will work, but hopefully it does and casinos won’t have to start closing.
Tags: Atlantic City, market, recession, struggle
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
To the average American $30 million sounds like a lot of money. Millions of people would love to come up with that amount of money via a lottery or inheritance. Most likely it would completely change their lifestyles and help them to attain dreams that were before impossible. If you change the setting though, $30 million isn’t that much. In fact, that is exactly what Atlantic City officials are saying. It’s no secret that Atlantic City has been suffering since the recession. Numbers are down—way down. More casinos are laying off people and that is making matters worse. With more unemployed, there is even less money to fuel into the economy. Without patrons, casinos could face further setbacks involving more layoffs and even closings. Still the market isn’t ready to give up just yet. Casino owners are pooling their money now in the hopes that they can help their own economy to revive. So far it is the Borgata Hotel Casino, the Tropicana, The Trump Entertainment Resort and Harrah’s that are joining forces. As four of the biggest entities in the area, it is hoped that they can come up with a plan to reinvigorate the market, or at least slow down its financial decline long enough to find other reasonable solutions.
The companies have joined together to form the Atlantic City Alliance and are armed with a total of $30 million. The eleven casinos in the area have suffered and this money hopefully will give some relief if used properly. One of the goals of the alliance is to clean up the market. There is a lot of criminal activity in some areas of Atlantic City and some of the locations seem run down. Casino operators hope that they can clean up the areas, revive the market and then hope for relief. Joining forces isn’t unusual in the casino market. there are many other areas that are looking to ban together in an effort to turn their revenues around. It may take some time, but hopefully the casino market will see a revival this coming year and be able to turn itself around.
Tags: Atlantic City, fund, market, revenue, revive
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
Atlantic City has been releasing negative news information for some time now. The casino operators in the area are worried that the market is going to suffer even more. Earlier this year the city had to lay off over 1,200 workers and there is buzz that more are to come. The casinos in the area are bracing for a difficult time coming up. Though they are trying everything possible, it is difficult for them to continue the changes and make life manageable. Atlantic City you recall was a gambling hub of the US. It wasn’t that long ago when it was one of the prime locations in the nation for gambling. Then the recession took over. Quickly the revenues Atlantic City once knew were taken away and since the recession has been over, it has not recovered. In fact, the Atlantic City market has declined at rates much faster than ever anticipated. It is making things hard not only for casino operators but for the entire city. The market has long relied on gambling as a means of operating, and this is not the news operators wanted to be handing out.
Right now Atlantic City is bringing news to the market that is not very welcomed. At a time when the market is so down, operators of casinos in the area just announced that more layoffs are imminent. It’s been two years now that the city has struggled and the Borgata Hotel is now adding to the crisis. The casino’s operators just announced that they are cutting down three percent more of their workers. So far that brings the total layoffs for the casino up to 200. Of course the casino chalked it up to improving efficiency, but everyone knows the true underlying reason why the layoffs are happening. This is a tactic that has long been used by casinos that are in need of help. They cut down on their workforce, alleviating a huge expense for payroll. There are more problems most likely coming to Atlantic City. Now that neighboring states have implemented their own gambling plans, it is infringing on an already struggling Atlantic City market.
Tags: Atlantic City, Borgata, market, wager
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Saturday, October 30th, 2010
More areas are suffering from casino increases. One of the biggest problems that gaming companies are facing is the increase in casinos. The problem is that numbers are down and have been for over two years now. But states are pushing for gambling increases—in games and in gaming floor space. They know how much money is brought into their economies via gambling and are ready to maximize that with more gambling options. The problem though is that there are not enough people to sustain all those gambling facilities at the level they are being constructed. Consider that if there is $5 million in revenue at one casino, it can sustain itself with revenue streams that are positive. On the other hand, if two more casinos are built in the area, that still leaves only $5 million in revenue, but now it has to be split three ways. And if one of those new casinos has a bigger gaming floor, or better games, or even better promotions, it is going to win out. That leaves the other two casinos in the dust. Overall things are leveling themselves off in the industry and a lot of casinos are still suffering though gambling is a highly popular undertaking.
Recently Atlantic City has been making headlines due to their revenues being down. Not minor declines in revenue, but seriously threatening declines. There is another change in the area now. Pennsylvania is a state that is making gaming changes now. The state added table games earlier this year and that is threatening neighboring state’s revenues considerably. The move by Pennsylvania is not only affecting New Jersey but also Connecticut. The leveling off period is making it difficult for casino companies to keep operating at the same levels. Consider that there also internet gambling companies entering the market. They not only have the asset of vast array of games, but they also offer the convenience of gambling from people’s own homes. Overall the gambling market is seeing a big shift and now pushing towards online gambling. This without a doubt will put more land based casinos on the offensive.
Tags: Atlantic City, CT, PA
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Saturday, October 30th, 2010
There is only one thing worse than the Las Vegas economy right now and it is the Atlantic City economy. It’s no secret that both US gambling meccas have been having problems as of late with revenue. Since the recession they have lost a lot of customers and that is proving to be a longstanding problem for them. Resorts Atlantic City is the longest-standing casino in New Jersey. It has been struggling for a long time now. One of the biggest problems is that newer casinos are quickly taking over as they are on the cusp of technological advances and gaining the newest games for their patrons. Resorts Atlantic City isn’t keeping up. Right now its operators are pushing for a change in its entire theme to liven up its offering. The goal is to transform the casino into a 20s-themed location by mid-2011. The hope is that a total revamp will bring in a new customer base and bring in more revenue as a result. This is just part of the focus of operators of the huge casino.
Remember that when it was built 1978, Resorts Atlantic City was a stand-out. It brought some of the best gaming and was showcased by the 27-floor tower hotel that followed it. It had the ability to boast the “largest standard rooms” in the city. Of course that was overturned when other casinos entered the market and started building bigger and better, but for a while it was the number one location for people wanted the most room to spread out in their luxury hotel rooms. Part of the problem with the Resorts Atlantic City location is that it is suffering revenue straight across the board. Slot machine numbers are down and so are table games. In the past they have experienced temporary dips, but not to this degree. It is making it next to impossible for the company to completely turn things around. Suffering blows to both of its major revenue streams is proving to be a huge issue for the company. Only time will tell if the company is able to regroup and rebuild its former customer base and in turn, revenue stream.
Tags: a, Atlantic City, gambling, Resorts, revenue
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