ATLANTIC CITY's PROBLEMS

[DaBurglar]

I just returned from a 5 day stay in AC (February 17 thru 22) and I had the chance to really see (without any BUllSh*t)   just how bad things really are in the city by the sea....Chirs Christie established a NJ state sponsored "Agency/TAsk force/Action Group"  centered on developing and directing New Jersey's gaming strategy for the next decade and beyond, and it delved into two divergent paths:    (A)  One was to look into developing Northern New Jersy opportunities in Gaming, such as the race tracks (turning them into slot parlors and posssibly getting rid of horses altogether), building some smaller slot parlors closer to NYC and the population centers on Northern New Jersey and neighboring Pennsylvania, and the contnued expansion and exploitation of the Internet gambling legalization "boom".....(B) DOUBLE DOWN on Atlantic City and existing gaming venues in south jersey by plowing money into new marketing campaigns, emphasizing new businesses and casinos (i.e. REVEL) while giving even more support and assitance (in the form of tax  breaks) to all the existing casinos in AC....starting in 2011, with the launch of Revel and the bailout of the Atlantic Club and the formation of the CRDA (casino reinvestment development authority, located on Pennsylvania Avenue in AC), the cHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION gave the CRDA and all related parties 5 years to turn AC around, otherwise all stae assets and resources would shift into helping northern NJ and leave AC to its fate.     Essentially their is a tug of war between north jersey (and by default, NYC) and SOuth Jersey for the gaming "mojo" of the this entire region that once belonged solely to AC and which has eroded and deteriorated over the years to the point where now it is seemingly hopelessly splintered into numerous pieces.....Pennsylvania, Mew Jersey, NYC and upstate New York as far as Albany, Southern Connceticut west of the river, Delaware, MAryland and BAltimore/D.C.........all these areas used to belong solely to AC, but that all changed in 2005 when Pennsylvania jumped into the game followed by many others   (actually it began changing in the mid 1990s with Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun coming online, but they did not prevent AC from continuing to Grow, but they did show that AC was vulnerable to dynamic and skillful marketing from other casinos.)     With the Great Recession clobbering everyone in 2007 thru 2009, AC proved extremely incapable of weathering the economic storm and has been in a tailspin ever since, with a whole slew of problems and issues seemingly coming to roost or coming to a head all a the same time, and no one seems capable (or willing) to do what is needed or to take the required drastic action to (1) stop the bleeding and (2) shift the focus and goals of the AC gaming market and its casinos DOWN from profit maximization to simple fiscal SURVIVAL followed by marginal and modified profitability goals.      Quite simply, AC must first focus on simply surviving and maintaining its existence, its jobs, its infrastructure et al ,   and THEN they can slowly (or rapidly, IF they can get their act together quickly enough) and gradually rebulid and reclaim its market share and lost customers.   It will NEVER reclaim its previous zenith, nor should it try, but it can ensure its own survival if it acts properly and SOON....But time is running out, thanks to ill advised, ill conceived and ill timed efforts thus far to solve all of the citry's problems in one FELL SWOOP (or one SMELL POOP)!    "DO  AC"  is just dumb, and meaningless.....likewise, opening Revel in the manner in which it was done, with very LITTLE forethought on just WHERE all these "upscale, non-smoking, non-casino centric but rather EXPERIENCE SEEKING"  customers were going to come from, made a bad situation worse.....one and a half bankruptcy proceedings later, the new management shows the folly of the previous management when it implements smoking and BEGS gamblers to visit their casino!!!!     Absurdity at its finest!     ALL they did was cannibalize what little business AC still had!With the exception of Borgata (and to a far lesser extent, HArrahs), every AC casino has major issues or problems right now......some or more obvious and glaring than others, such as the totally decrepit and horrible condition of the the TAJ MAHAL hotel casino.....this property is actually on the verge of becoming UNSAFE to stay and play at......consider:I have stayed at the TAJ a number of times in the last 3-4 months (since they deemd me worthy of a bunch of free rooms that I can easily book online, and since it is right next door to RESORTS, my other latest casino of choice that offers me free rooms) I usualy book a 5 to 7 night stay split between the two properties........I have spent a total of 14 nights at the Taj since December 1, 2013 (and 15 nights next door at the connected RESORTS), so I am intimately familiar now with both properties.       The brutally cold winter of the last 2 months has caused a massive and sustained "leaking and breakage of the pipes" in the Taj Mahal, such that at various times, torrents (literally) of rusty pipe water have poured through the ceiling tiles down onto slot machines and (yes) even a few customers!     AS to whether or not these customers have been "rewarded" with some nice juicy perks in hopes of dissuading any legal action, one can only hope and speculate (I have been unable to find out if this is the case despite many inquiries).......but I have spoken with several "old timers" amongst security guards who tell me how the TAJ management is essentially allowing the property to fall apart to inflate the short term profitability numbers.....there are only two reasons to do such a thing in the case of a business like a luxury resort (that Taj bills itself as):   You either want to attract a buyer   or   you simply (as management) want a nice fat bonus check  THIS QUARTER, and to hell with the FUTURE (perhaps because you plan to BAIL out before then.)ALL one has to do is look  at and around the property of the TAJ and you will see HUGE gaping holes in the ceilings and the external outside facade and siding, how old and decrepit the carpeting is, how scary and unstable the elevators are......I predict before this year is out, someone is going to be clobbered by falling debris, or trapped in a malfunctioning elevator, at the TAJ and there will be a HUGE lawsuit, followed by a forced sale or bankruptcy.      MANY other AC casinos have similar business tales of woe and hardship, or of plans to expand and attract new customers gone awry, etc.     Resorts opens MArgaritaville, while the Tropicana expands its Boardwalk eateries and dining fare....yet while they are doing this, the Pier Shoppes at CAesars sit idle and empty and the shoppes in the Revel and within the Outlet district in Atlantic City Proper have virtually NO CUSTOMERS.....what are they thinking????     This is all done under the direction and behest of the CRDA, but they have been utterly clueless and unable to solve the one single over riding problem for ALL OF AC.....how to attract all the people (i.e. gamblers) they have lost.....not to give the few remaining people even more options for food or shopping, options they neither need nor want!     A step in the right direction they have done was to get the Miss America PAgeant back in AC.......if they could secure similar events or conventions that would help.     Developing the Airport is also something they have had a little success at, but they need much much more with this, and it needs a follow-up marketing campaign to alers people nationwide of the fact that you can now FLY TO AC!!!      Once again, living here in New ENgland, I see daily commercials for LAs Vegas........I see NONE for Atlantic City!!!!    duhIf they could somehow get Sports Betting in AC, this would be a huge lift......I will never unerstand the logic for denying it to AC when it is legal in neighboring Delaware (as well as Oregon and obviously NEVADA!), and yet Delaware has neither the inclination nor the infrastructure to utilize this asset......I think it is also legal in one more state (who also doesnt take advantage of it) but I forget that state's name!Like I said, time is running out for AC, and I dont see a whole lot changing this year....Chris Christie Said (says) that this year, 2014, is the pivotal year, where we are supposed to see if and how AC can remain competitive and relevant, when they are supposed to see a "return" on all this investment they have made!        I think its absurd, as they continue to tap dance around the real, true, all important reason people left AC in the first place:     NO VALUETheir games are horribly calibrated to offer very little overall gaming VALUE.......they simply do not pay enough to provide a long enough entertainment factor/component to the experience.....people's money just disappears way too fast, and this spill over from the slots into the Video Poker realm, which I have arduously reported and related to everyone here over the last several years.     Its a common theme and mantra of anyone who has been to AC, or who continues to go, or who lives there and knows:   NO ONE WINS (or not enough).       This is NOT an absolute literal truth because, obviously, some people DO win, but it is a global term or application......people do not win enough or frequently. so that the opening of one or two casinos down their street, casinos who have the same crappy payouts as AC but who are simply VERY close by, well this becomes a no brainer.    AC needs to attract its gamblers back.......loosen slots, liven up the table games, make VP more attractive and cease turning Video Poker payback percentages into SLOT %!    Advertise that they have done all this, and then, once they have gotten everyone back and ensured their survivability at least for the next 5-7 years, THEN slowly go about tweaking the slots and games back into more casino favorable ranges, BUT NOT ALL AT ONCE AND NEVER TO THE EXENT it was previously......they will always need to maintain VALUE in the eyes of gamblers, and this means accepting that they will never achieve the previous levels of profit margins.....they need to tune down their business goals to more realistic profit levels and put SURVIVAL at the top of the list.

[Tedlark]

  DaBurglar I give you an A for the quantity of your post but not the quality. What new information do you bring to this post that you haven't allready written through your other posts?

[chattycattty]

I do not want to get in a debate on the majority of your post but I do agree with you concerning the airport. We would probably go more if commercial flights were available. We have friends that took their 7 star trip there last year but I think they had to fly into a different airport.

The two trips we did last year were the only CET junkets offered from DFW. One in May and one in September. Both flights were full and most of the people on the trip I talked to were pleased with their overall experience. We are looking forward to going again this year once the CET junkets from DFW to AC dates are made known.

If Vegas had to survive on locals and California drive overs, they would have gone broke or at the very least never expanded to the point where they are now. As you know they have an incredible airport. Unless it is made easier for others to get to AC from other parts of the country, anything else they try to do to improve what they already have will IMO be largely ineffective.

[DaBurglar]

  Unless it is made easier for others to get to AC from other parts of the country, anything else they try to do to improve what they already have will IMO be largely ineffective. I made a quick 2 day sojourn down to AC on February 26 thru 28 to play out a Blackjack tourney I had qualified for......while I was there this time they had on TV a local news segment, and then it was later mentioned in the AC press, that the CRDA (Casino Reinvestment Development Authority) has made mention of this very point that you make chattycathy, that the CRDA has told the powers that be (Governors office, AC MAyor, and most important, the Casino Corporations that run AC) that are more streamlined, easier route or method of getting to AC for customers must be developed otherwise the place is not likely to ever grow again, only shrink.Back in the days before 2004, when AC was essentially the only game in town, this was not an issue....people packed on the buses and drove in their cars in huge numbers (you can see this was the case by the MASSIVE bus terminals and bays that exist at many AC properties that are unused), and the MASSIVE parking structures that are never filled anymore even during Summer on Saturday nights!     The drive from places like NYC, or even Philly, Washington DC/Baltimore, and many other cities and towns within 2-3 hours of AC is just too boring and arduous, and the bus routes have deteriorated or disappeared such that local casinos in Pennsylvania, Delaware and even NYC itself now (slots) are appealing enough for people to say screw driving to AC.A modern, efficient airport with a corresponding advertising and awareness campaign would help, but the casinos will have to make it attractive and worthwhile for people to fly there instead of VEGAS, and this would mean doing things that the casinos in AC have thus far been unwilling or unable to do.....there used to be a nice train service to AC from NYC, and if somehow this could be resurrected  it would help, provided it also runs to other destinations and is FAST....but again, not likely to happen.

[olds442jetaway]

Last I remember from my last trip to A/C in the 90's anything a block or so up from the boardwalk looked just like the ghettos of Bridgeport, Ct. That is partly why we haven't been back and when we did go, it was just to Harrah's Marina. This is somewhat ancient history from my memories of the early 90's, but I have a feeling not much has changed for the rest of the town.

[BillyJoe]

Last I remember from my last trip to A/C in the 90's anything a block or so up from the boardwalk looked just like the ghettos of Bridgeport, Ct. That is partly why we haven't been back and when we did go, it was just to Harrah's Marina. This is somewhat ancient history from my memories of the early 90's, but I have a feeling not much has changed for the rest of the town.
I have been to AC now 3 times in the last couple of years, and I have yet to see 'the rest of the town". Too scary.

[JIMDUECE`SWILD]

[QUOTE=olds442jetaway]Last I remember from my last trip to A/C in the 90's anything a block or so up from the boardwalk looked just like the ghettos of Bridgeport, Ct. That is partly why we haven't been back and when we did go, it was just to Harrah's Marina. This is somewhat ancient history from my memories of the early 90's, but I have a feeling not much has changed for the rest of the town.
I have been to AC now 3 times in the last couple of years, and I have yet to see 'the rest of the town". Too scary. [/QUOTE]
 The only thing that changes in town is the outlet stores . They are located between Ceasar's / Bally's and the train station.

[jetermacaw]

I go to AC every week, close for me I live up the coast in Point Pleasant, never had a problem. More fights on our boardwalk all summer from the bridge and tunnel crowd.

[olds442jetaway]

That is great that you and many others have had no problems in A/C. I just remember one scary ride we took through town back in the early 90's. I don't think it helped being in a brand new rented caddy driving through those neighborhoods. Also according to a May 2005 Forbes article, Atlantic City is " dangerous and depraved ". I think if they could clean up the rest of the town and get some easy access there from folks who fly in, they would do better. It can be really nice down there, especially in the summer.

[JIMDUECE`SWILD]

Since the 90's the city has added all new jittney busses and there still are plenty of taxi's. The outlet stores are nice and there is plenty of police present. There are many shoppers there and the police help at the crosswalks for pedestrians.   I have posted some AC Press article here  that United and Spirit airlines have added plane flights to AC.