News, notes and commentary about the casino capital of the East, and the author’s hometown.
You might not have heard, but the New Jersey legislature voted to legalize Internet gaming. The bill in question (S490) passed both houses and awaits Governor Christie’s signature. So what does it mean? The new law changes the Casino Control Act to permit Atlantic City casinos to offer gambling over the Internet to residents of […]
Inside the NJ Internet gambling law Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThe Casino Control Commission released the 2010 casino revenue figures today. Here’s the pdf press release if you want to take a look. For the market at large, it was close to an unmitigated disaster, with a 9.0% decline in slot revenue and 10.9% slowdown in table revenue combined to drop total casino revenues by
AC casinos 2010: Another bad year Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingProving that the system can change, as long as it’s a nonsensical change that won’t help anyone already in the market, New Jersey has approved mini-casinos for Atlantic City. From the AC Press: Gov. Chris Christie signed a law Wednesday evening allowing two smaller-size casino hotels to be licensed in Atlantic City. The pilot program,
Mini-Casinos approved in NJ Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThis month, I have a milestone Atlantic City history column in Casino Connection that celebrates one of the real personalities of Atlantic City, Tony “Mr. Wonderful” Grant: Today, most of the entertainment in Atlantic City comes courtesy of seasoned veterans and nationally known recording artists. Once, however, the city was a mecca for amateur performers
Tony Grant, Star Maker in Casino Connection AC Read More »
atlantic city, writingThe latest Casino Connection Atlantic City is out, and my AC History piece is about a real Atlantic City institution, White House Subs: Mention the White House to longtime Atlantic City residents, and their first thought isn’t the building with the Oval Office, but the local landmark at Arctic and Mississippi avenues. Now part of
History of White House Subs in Casino Connection AC Read More »
atlantic city, writingOne of the revelations from yesterday’s 3Q results announcement was that MGM has received an offer of about $250 million for the 50% share of the Borgata that the company is obliged to sell thanks to the Pansy Ho/Casino Control Commission imbroglio. The bigger isn’t named, but since it is mentioned that Boyd has the
Who’s the mystery bidder on .5(Borgata)? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThis month in Casino Connection, I take a look back at one of Atlantic City’s most honest public officials, and its first noteworthy historian, Alfred Heston: Atlantic City has seen generations of public officials and interested citizens, but few residents have left a legacy as monumental as Alfred Miller Heston, a newspaper publisher, historian and
Alfred Heston in Casino Connection Read More »
atlantic city, writingAn experienced gaming executive (who I once worked for at the Trump Taj Mahal) has acquired Resorts Atlantic City, and a former Resorts exec has some advice. From the AC Press: One of the executives who oversaw Resorts Atlantic City during its 1970s heyday said the money-losing casino should transform itself into a convention haven
Turning around Resorts Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI’ve got a pretty interesting Atlantic City History article this month–it’s about the original Atlantic City Airshow, circa 1910. From Casino Connection: The Atlantic City Airshow, “Thunder Over the Boardwalk,” has become a city tradition. Since 2003, the spectacle of U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and scores of other military aircraft buzzing over the Atlantic Ocean
AC aeronautical history Read More »
atlantic city, writingJust to show you the kind of week I’m having, it’s Thursday and I’m just now getting around to posting a link to my bi-weekly LVBP column, which I should have done on Monday or Tuesday. I just got the beta version of the Macau gaming summary up, and I’ve jumped into a study of
Surprising AC slots in LVBP Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingNew Jersey governor Chris Christie’s Advisory Committee on New Jersey Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment has issued its report, which calls for a partial state takeover of Atlantic City. From the AC Press: But Atlantic city and state officials have naturally focused most on the governor’s plan to create a state-run portion of Atlantic City, in
NJ to take over AC casino district Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThis is getting predictable. In May, casino revenues in Atlantic City declined 9% from May 2009. Year to date, revenues are down 7.9%, and it doesn’t look to get much better. I don’t think that table games in Delaware and Pennsylvania are going to help. It was an across-the-board decline. Every casino posted lower revenues
AC slides more in May Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThe Trump Taj Mahal’s bad beat jackpot has finally paid off, in record fashion. Thanks to 84 year-old John Bazela’s four sevens getting beaten by by four aces, everyone at the table is quite a bit wealthier this morning. From the AC Press: Tom Gitto, the casino’s director of poker, said the jackpot usually hits
Bad beat profitable in AC Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingCasting around the Internet for stories to comment on, I saw a promising headline: Newsweek would tell me exactly why Garden State casinos were having such a hard time. Here’s the first paragraph, but you should click through and read the whole thing, just for fun: The Great Recession has brought more bad luck. According
Nothing doing in New Jersey Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingIt’s not the proudest moment in Atlantic City history, but it’s an important one nonetheless. This month in Casino Connection, I take a look at ABSCAM: There aren’t any commemorative parties, but this year marks the 30th anniversary of a major Atlantic City news story-the Abscam investigation. The investigation—in which FBI agents posed as the
ABSCAM in Casino Connection Read More »
atlantic city, writingHarrah’s is undertaking a massive renovation of one of the city’s historic gambling halls. From the AC Press: Acknowledging that the cowboy concept has gone stale, Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino is preparing for a $1.5 million facelift to reinvigorate the aging casino just in time for the bustling summer crowds. … Bally's spent $110
Old west is old in AC Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI somehow missed celebrating one of the biggest milestones in Atlantic City gaming history earlier this month: on April 2, the Trump Taj Mahal celebrated its 20th anniversary. But I did write a little about the road to opening in this month’s Casino Connection: Even before Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts International, opened in 1978,
Happy birthday Trump Taj Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingInteresting article in today’s AC Press about local casinos’ new focus on…locals: The sluggish economy and fierce competition from Pennsylvania’s slot parlors for out-of-state customers have forced Atlantic City casinos to fine-tune their marketing strategies to focus more on the local area. In doing so, they have discovered there is a lucrative market right in
Evolution of AC: locals Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThis isn’t the popular thing to say right now, but I’ve got real doubts about the AC mini-casino proposal. Here are my thoughts from the LV Business Press: Both Atlantic City and Las Vegas have had a difficult recession of course, by definition no recession is easy. Atlantic City, however, has suffered much more due
AC needs more than mini-casinos Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingMore news from Atlantic City, none of it good. From NJ.com: Resorts Atlantic City, the nation's first casino outside Nevada, says it may not survive; another Atlantic City casino hasn't made a loan payment since last summer; and three others are in bankruptcy court. Atlantic City's 11 casinos have been struggling for more than three