Here is a classic “only in Atlantic City” story: the city’s casinos must ban smoking for a week because it will take that long for the city council to vote on delaying the ban for a year. Huh? From the AC Press: On Wednesday, Atlantic City is supposed to become the largest casino market in […]
When the Trop AC first went on sale (it seems like a decade ago), a newspaper reporter asked me how much I thought it would get. I considered the Sands’ recent selling price and made a quick mental tally of the Trop’s relative size. “$650 million, ” I replied. “Maybe $700 million. The next day,
What’s Trop worth? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingSome folks down in Cape May, NJ (home of the Winter Getaway) thought it would be a good idea to relocate a colony of feral cats. Now, they are beset by skunks. From the AC Press: McGlade has run the oceanfront eatery next to Cape May Convention Hall for 28 years, and never before had
Why you should leave cats alone Read More »
atlantic city, haphazard worldHey, maybe the Atlantic City Council reads this blog. It looks like they’re suddenly saying the same thing I was two weeks ago about Pinnacle. From the AC Press: In November 2006, the Sands Casino Hotel closed its doors to make way for incoming Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. At the time, Pinnacle Chairman Dan Lee said
Pinnacle deadlines? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI’ve got two new articles elsewhere on the web, including a piece in the LVBP where I ponder the strangely-bifurcated marketing strategy at Paris Las Vegas: While browsing a popular online travel Web site recently, I noticed something strange: There are two major resort hotels at 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The listing for Paris
Atlantic City’s got a new website: Your trusted source for all things Atlantic City just got better! The new look and easy navigation will make using the site a cinch. In addition to new features such as Google searches and RSS feeds, all of the great things you love, like our calendar of events, room
As far as I’m concerned, Pinnacle has just about used up any residual goodwill it had in Atlantic City. Not content with trashing 2,000 jobs and blowing up a major casino on the 50/50 chance that they’ll actually build something, the company is now trying to use eminent domain to seize private businesses located across
The RGJ quoted me extensively in a piece on, what else, casino carpets last week. Here’s a sample: Casino carpeting is a hobby for Schwartz. He has posted shots of casino carpets throughout the nation on his Web site www.dieiscast.com. They’re wild and bright and follow a Nevada tradition that at least dates back to
RGJ on casino carpet Read More »
gambling & cultureMy old stomping ground the Trump Taj Mahal has gotten a makeover and is getting a new hotel tower. From the AC Press: They are de-Tajing the Taj. First they ripped out the gaudy pink and purple hues that dominated the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resorts over-the-top decor since the 1990s. Then they converted the
I can’t take credit for discovering these–they were forwarded to me by my Reno correspondent. They are a series of commercials for Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. If you’ve got two minutes to spend, it’s worth it:
Historian James Karmel has let me know about a great oral history project that’s in progress in Atlantic City. From the AC Free Public Library: The interviews will take place throughout the summer, with the final product scheduled to be made available to the public this winter. Once the project has been completed, the interviews
AC Oral History Program Read More »
atlantic cityComing back to this, it’s all Atlantic City, all the time. I’ve got a few Vegas things I’ve been kicking around, including my personal ranking of the high-end burger places on the Strip and a book review or two. But then the AC Press goes ahead and runs a HUGE Pinnacle spoiler: Giving a sneak
Beach casino 50/50 Read More »
atlantic citySo how’s the Tropicana in Atlantic City doing these days? I got curious enough today to check out the vox populi of tripadvisor.com. There are reviews for July up, so this reflects the property well after the Columbia Sussex retreat. And most of the people are happy, though the ones who aren’t have some horror
I grabbed this yesterday and saved it to post this morning. In the meantime, I got scooped by Chuckmonster and KLAS. But here’s the original story, from the AP: Yes, Michael Wax stunk. Hes the first to admit it. The 440-pound Brooklyn man said he was playing poker in an Atlantic City casino for 17
86ed for smelling bad Read More »
atlantic cityA couple has plead guilty to stealing a million bucks–then blowing it on slots in Atlantic City. From Newsday: A couple has admitted that they went on a million-dollar Atlantic City gambling spree with money the woman had stolen from her employer. New Jersey prosecutors say Jamine Alabre faces about six years in state prison,
In a story that has only one obvious typo–nice work, editors!–we learn that, if you give people something besides warmed-over singers and comics in your showrooms, you can actually attract new people to Atlantic City casinos. Outstanding! From the AC Press: Casino shows used to feature aging crooners and old comics like Henny Youngman, who
‘Lifestyle celebs’ in AC Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingAnd the phones? What kind of office is this? Ah, it’s OK. Shelly Levine just closed a big deal. None of that will make anything approaching sense if you’ve never seen Glengary Glen Ross, but trust me, it does. All of this is my lead-in to what is surely the casino caper of the decade:
They took the leads? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingUnless something derails the deal (and how often has that happened with the Trumpster’s Atlantic City casinos?) the Trump Marina will soon become the Margaritaville casino resort. From the AC Press: Trump Marina Hotel Casino is being sold in a $316 million deal that will transform the poorest-performing property in Donald Trump’s gaming empire into
Wastin’ Away on Huron Ave Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingCasinos have been Atlantic City for thirty years, and there are still some people who remember Day One. From the AC Press:
Remembering Day One Read More »
atlantic cityMost people think of Las Vegas as the home of folksy, friendly service and Atlantic City service workers as rude, inconsiderate, and uncaring, but most people evidently don’t participate in Market Metrix, which just rated AC above Vegas in a recent index of hospitality destinations. From the AC Press: Atlantic City has won a stunning