AC "LOWLIGHTS" 10/3 THRU 10/8

[Tedlark]

  Again, more profanity. Apparently some posters don't care to abide by the forum rules; it reflects on how much society has degraded.  “Swearing doesn’t make your argument valid; it just tells the other person you have lost your class and control.” Shannon L. Alder

[DaBurglar]

Thanks DaBurglar,
I truly enjoy you AC status posts.
I was an avid Showboat player. Very sad to see it go. As I am A CET player I have tried
Caears and Harrahs to move my play. Next stop Ballys. Will then make a decision.
 
Unlike some other people here, I find you posts/reports very infomative and well thought out. It would appear that Tedlark really is just an *******. He tries to make comments against you and in the end comes across as a little whiney baby. The fact that he will respond to everyone one of your posts almost immediately, to be honest is a little disturbing. To the point of stalking or no life or both.  Just letting you know in my opinion he has made himself out to look like  a real loser. You have been doing good lately of not even entertaining his comments.  I would continue to ignore him as it seems he just gets off trying to get a rise out of you. If you dont feed the child, perhaps he will just go away..... Thank you TKO, I appreciate very much your words, and a number of others have voiced similar sentiments to me in private.      I'm tired of this crap....I just want to post in peace and enjoy my time and interaction here.......I really do.I sympathize totally with your predicament about losing Showboat!    I really am going to miss that place, it had a charm all its own and I enjoyed the relaxing "vibe" the showboat had compared to the other more hectic and cluttered/clustered CET properties!   Nobody really appreciated how extremely well lit and bright the Showboat floor was compared to everywhere else!   I especially loved this aspect on early mornings, when you awake all bleary eyed and want to get the day started....having the casino be so "bright" made it easier to wake up without guzzling 3 cups of joe......I think you will find that of the three remaining CET properties in AC, the Video poker is better at Harrahs, at least in terms of SELECTION.    GOOD LUCK  TKO!!!

[DaBurglar]

I wanted to start a new thread with this old story but decided not to....please read, and pay attention to all the little sidebar comments made by people despite the author's attempt to make the story about "diversifying AC's economy"......that ship sailed a long time ago, and in order for it to sail again (i.e. in order for AC to recover in the future and enjoy a new diverse economy with many sources of revenue besides casinos) then things are first going to have to get much worse before they get better.....and I dont know how the city can survive that, since the money it has lost in taxes already will be even worse without the TAJ MAHAL (and yet Taj Mahal says it must have city tax breaks in order to stay afloat!!!)   WOW what a mess......read:  http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-22/n ... -authority Certain people HATED how I posted for the last 3-1/2 years (going back to early 2011 when the Atlantic City CRDA first kicked into high gear and made its presence and purpose known) that AC was spiraling down the tubes, that efforts to save it were a total sham and totally inadequate, that they were NOT zeroing in on the real issues and problems.....people here just WHINED and griped about my perceived "whining and griping.....Well, it looks like I was 100% correct in everything I said.....but not simply about the problems.   I insisted all along that there were at least "partial solutions" to AC's predicament.....I insisted that it was (and is) possible to at least STOP THE BLEEDING and just tread water, to survive, for the bulk of AC Casinos and surrounding business (except Revel, that one never had a chance and in fact HASTENED the demise of all the other casinos).I said way back when that having all these empty huge casinos would in and of itself be a real problem in terms of blight and serve to stifle even further future visitors to AC.  They really needed to keep these places afloat, and the whole argument about "the market share is gone, the demand cannot support these casinos etc etc" became a self fulfilling prophecy that is frustrating as all hell......Bear with me and follow this logic:   since 2006 when the Pennsylvania Casinos opened (followed by to a lesser extent casinos in other areas like Maryland and delaware)  AC casino revenue has plummetted each year.   During the same time the revenue at all these "new" Pennsylvania-and-elsewhere casinos ROSE and continued to rise for most years except or until the VERY recent years.     This means then, that the DEMAND for casinos OVERALL stayed the same or even rose slightly.....its just that the DEMAND was met by different casinos besides AC for once.     So the business AC lost did not just "disappear", it is still out there, just going to different casinos.So the real question and issue becomes this:  WHY........WHY has Atlantic city been unable to recapture at least SOME portion of that lost business?   At some point, those people in surrounding states were perfectly happy to go to AC.......why cant AC come up with whatever it takes to get those people back?????     I say it is possible, they just could not, or would not, do what was needed!!!    Instead they just watched themselves bleed to death and shrink, all the while irrationally hoping that people would somehow "magically return".  One major reason the top management in AC Casinos simply stuck its head in the sand starting in 2006 when it saw people leaving in drives for the Pennsylvania palaces is this simple yet obvious (and infuriating) fact:  Top Management in most of these casinos (as is the case in most Major corporations/companies with their CEOs, COOs and similar level positions) are GROSSLY overcompensated and compensated for the wrong things and in the wrong manner.   It is really that simple....these fat cat casino execs were perfectly content to "wait and see" (when swift, dynamic responses were urgently needed), and its no mystery why....their "major" compensation (i.e. BONUSES) is tied disproportionately only to PROFIT....when Revenue started to fall the first couple years, top management did what all "short term" thinkers do to keep the profit margins up, the slashed costs, which in the casino business is a form of suicide....costs are slashed in the form of layoffs and reduced service and perks and comps, which drives even MORE customers away which drives revenue lower, and the chain reaction continues until there is nothing left to cut!  We know this what happened because this scenario repeats itself over and over throughout MANY industries and economies.    it's nauseating.....    Austerity is NOT a cure for anything in most business and economic models and scenarios....Japan (in the early 1990s) and the European MARKET/Economies (over the past 10 years since 2004)  have clearly proven this beyond any doubt over the past 25 years.  In the case of AC, the top management in many casinos was perfectly content to slash and slash all the while continuing to reap HUGE bonuses, knowing full well where it was ultimately heading (but they did not care....they bank a few huge quarters of bonuses and then they are "let go" with a nice fat severance...it's a ridiculous system.)   Compensation needs to be revamped, and it starts with basing bonuses on NOT just profit, but also REVENUE growth and similar indices that take into consideration the TOTAL overall health of the business.    I am not espousing anything earth shattering or unique....this is pure common sense and good business.It is no secret or mystery as to how to get those gamblers to return to AC and increase (at least partially) revenue.  It will probably NEVER reach the heights of 2006, but it can be improved to stop the exodus.   Why cant they do it?    There really is no excuse.....look at where they are now.....surely it would have been worth it to at least TRY by loosening machines, throwing all kinds of promotional gimmicks and freebies and whatever else is out there to attract people back.......we know that such things DO work at least for a short while.     How could it not have been worth it to at least TRY?!?!?AC casino management over the last decade, with the exception of Borgata, can be summed up as thus:   INCOMPETENT, lazy, arrogantly slothful and pathetic.    My next prediction (which is a no brainer) is the city of AC itself will now be completely bankrupt from all the lost tax revenue, it will be faced with shutdowns of everything, and will have to be taken over by the state capital in Trenton for day to day management until the money can be found somewhere else.

[Tedlark]

DaBurglar you yourself posted earlier this year that several Atlantic City casinos needed to close in order for those remaining to survive.

It was no great surprise to many of us here with business backgrounds (and common sense to boot) that Atlantic City's fortunes have done a death spiral. So for you to claim how great you were in predicting this is back several years ago is actually quite laughable.

And as for the accuracy of your next prediction may I suggest you be the next one to change their screen name and from this point on you refer to yourself as: Captain Obvious?

[BillyJoe]

I stayed an evening in AC after returning from a cruise out of NYC. As an indication of the ineptitude that seems to be gripping the remaining AC properties, the transport bus from the cruise terminal refused to go to the front hotel entrance where bell men were available to help with bags. He instead parked in the bus depot, where you had to carry your own backs up one flight, across the sky bridge, and down into VIP Check-In. Once there, although late due to the weather, I was told that my room was 'unavailable', even though the host had blocked it for me. Three phone calls later, the room was available, but of course, the first set of keys did not work, so I needed to return to VIP for new ones. Double checking my 5 AM airport limo for the next morning, it was set for 6 AM. Although my reservation had always been for one night, after 4 attempts to have them correct my two-night stay in the system, I gave up. Of course, when I checked out the next morning, they wanted to know why I was leaving early. All this time, I was wearing my "Seven Star Experience" lanyard from the cruise, which seemed to matter to no one.

Ahhh - that Seven Star feeling..

If this is how one of the supposedly better AC properties is functioning, I can't imagine some of the others.    

[olds442jetaway]

Wow! That is really a shame Billy J that you had to go through all of that on your trip. I must say that for all of the little and somewhat petty gripes I have from time to time about Mohegan Sun, I have found the Hotel service there in about 500 stays to be top notch and I can count all of the minor glitches on one hand. A couple of times housekeeping came into the room even though my do not disturb sign was on and they checked me out while I was down at lunch. They have a gizmo that tells them if someone is in the room. Heat sensor I think or something like that. Had no problem at all checking back in. Another time there was a minor drain leak in the sink that was fixed immediately and one time the tub drain was slow and that was fixed within the hour. Once or twice the tv had to be changed also within an hour. Anytime we ordered a fridge and micro for the room which is also no cost, it sometimes arrives before we even get to the room. Finally, the concierge staff is top notch. I hate to sound like a plug for the casino, but after reading several of the horror stories from around the country, I thought I should give them credit where credit is due.
     Should you ever get up this was to stay at Mohegan for a few days Billy, hopefully things will be just as nice as they have been for me. By the way, Maker's Mark is always available and their golf course it beautiful.

[DaBurglar]

DaBurglar you yourself posted earlier this year that several Atlantic City casinos needed to close in order for those remaining to survive.

It was no great surprise to many of us here with business backgrounds (and common sense to boot) that Atlantic City's fortunes have done a death spiral. So for you to claim how great you were in predicting this is back several years ago is actually quite laughable.

And as for the accuracy of your next prediction may I suggest you be the next one to change their screen name and from this point on you refer to yourself as: Captain Obvious?And this bothers you because.....???    Again, why not simply IGNORE it or blow it off??Here's why i wrote what I did:   I mentioned in my previous post how some people (LEAD BY YOU) have HATED my whole litany of AC posts, which stretch back well before 2011 BEFORE Chris Christie launched the CRDA and before the "DO AC" campaign (if you can call it that) and before ALL KINDS of other efforts and initiatives were launched to somehow "save" AC.      People (like YOU) and Doris and others literally BERATED me with sayings like "AC is not that bad"  or "You are making a big deal out things" or "Lots of people have gone and had a great time Burglar, what's your problem?" etc etc etc and so on....Well, now you know for certain, and understand just what exactly the situation truly is,, and the extent.....I am not "TOUTING MYSELF" as some all wise prophet or whatever it is you insinuate....I am just doing what I KNOW YOU WOULD DO if the situation were reversed:  I am simply saying "I told you so..."But as I also have repeatedly said....I am NOT happy or satisfied or anything like that:  I am LIVID, and sad, and disappointed for so many reasons and about so many things.....not the least of which is this:  If the TAJ closes, that may well push the total DIRECT job losses to over 10,000 with the 5 casinos shuttered......add into this disaster untold THOUSANDS more jobs that will be lost or directly affected in support industries and vendors to the 5 casinos.....add in still more lost jobs to the businesses that are supported by the consumer activity of the employees who have lost their jobs and you see just how far this extends......The AC boardwalk itself will be the worst casualty as far as AC as a whole is concerned, since it is the signature feature and draw......the AC boardwalk is iconic (there would be no game of MONOPOLY without it!)   I am mad because there is no reason it should have been THIS BAD....I am mad because there is a handful of incompetent, no-good, do nothing executives walking around with FAT bank accounts from several years of excessive compensation for a job they did not do, while at the same time literally killing the future of thousands of people.   I am mad because Atlantic City will never be the same, and in fact, it most likely will get even worse as the next year unfolds......(see ** below)People like us here at this forum....Billyjoe, Webman, Olds, Bob Dancer, Roveer, Myself.....EVEN YOU TEDLARK, could have done a better job if empowered and given the cahnce (and incentive) to improve Atlantic City's fortune and prospects......I know we could have!   There is no way we coul dhave done worse than these bozos.** When I said "things will get worse" for AC over the next year or so. I am not just making a idle general prediction, this is something I am fairly certain about:   if the TAJ shuts down, the STEEL PIER which is connected right behind the TAJ across the boardwalk will most likely shut down with it....I am not aware of any plan to somehow allow or keep the steel pier running when Next Memorial Day Weekend in MAY, 2015 kicks off the traditional summer season in AC.   If this happens, there will no longer be ANY reason for people to wander up to that part of the boardwalk......this means RESORTS Casino-Hotel which is currently next to the TAJ and the Steel Pier will be severely impacted by the closure, and in all likelihood will see its revenue fall precipitously.   I hope and pray this does not happen, or is not as severe as it seems it might turn out to be.....I hope Resorts Management (which has MOHEGAN SUN as its Primary Operating Partner) can somehow find it within itself to pursue a Dynamic enough strategy to SEIZE additional MArket Share for Itself and weather this storm.....I am also hoping that REVEL is reopened by its new owners as a Casino/Resort well before the busy Summer Season opens next Memorial Day (that would GREATLY help all of AC, especially Resorts.)

[DaBurglar]

I stayed an evening in AC after returning from a cruise out of NYC. As an indication of the ineptitude that Ahhh - that Seven Star feeling...............................................................................
If this is how one of the supposedly better AC properties is functioning, I can't imagine some of the others.     I am very sorry this happened to you BILLYJOE......but yes, sadly, this type of service experience is TYPICAL of almost ALL Atlantic City casinos.     I am very sorry most of all that we did not have a chance to meet......As you probably read in my previous posts, as things turned out, I had to return home anyway due to my Mother's health so I would not have been there when you finally got back anyway It is mind boggling to say the least......A city that DEPENDS on the Service Industry, that DEPENDS on the discretionary spending of consumers to visit their casinos and all the businesses in and around and in support of casinos, would be so inept and lackadaisical when it comes to the QUALITY of the experience they are supposedly trying to sell/market.This is what I have been saying all along, even more so than "AC Video Poker is Not What we Expect!" etc etc.    I think it is ABSURD that the Politicians and Business leaders in and Around the city of AC, as well as New Jersey itself, BLAME or point to the  increased competition that has sprung up in surrounding states as the primary and only reason they have lost nearly half their Revenue in less than 8 years, when you see and hear (and experience) such incompetence and ineptitude.....I mean, COME ON?!?!?!   In today's world where customers share info and experiences (look what we do here!) ,  if a casino or group of casinos is lacking or is doing something poorly then that word gets out and soon, if the issue is not corrected, that casino(s) finds itself losing customers!!!     Consider this:   if  ALL the customers AC lost to Pennsylvania Casinos in the last 8 years came back to give AC  ONE LAST SHOT to impress them or otherwise convince them to resume gambling and staying in AC, what do you think would happen with MOST of them given the current situation??  Would they decide to come back and STAY with the AC casino or stay with the Pennsylvania??Does anyone else agree with me on this point???   The fact that so much business has left AC in such a short period of time, CANNOT be (and IS NOT) the simple and direct result of numerous other casinos suddenly opening up "just down the street" of people living in Pennsylvania and Delaware/Maryland.    Something ELSE had to be at work or in the mix as far as what impelled so many gamblers to abandon AC altogether and decide to play elsewhere.    And it is clear that it was (and still IS) the LOUSY service and the awful quality of the employees, the manner in which they go about their business, and untold other shortcomings and failures, all of which are inexcusable because they are all eminently FIXABLE (i.e. WELL WITHIN the grasp or control of management and the employees themselves!!!!!)  It is exasperating for me to hear OVER and OVER, from the mouths of people who work and live in AC or nearby towns and cities, or from the actual casino employees themselves (including Managers and execs), the excuses of a Depressed Economy along with  INCREASED COMPETITION as the PRIMARY reason(s) AC is in trouble!!!    It is just not right or fair......Surely, though, most of you must now see Billyjoe's point providing the backdrop and support to what I have been saying all along......Atlantic City's horrendous fall over the last 7-8 years was caused by MUCH more than simply a recession and over saturation!   People we looking for a alternative even BEFORE 2006, before all the casinos opened up in Pennsylvania and elsewhere......because once they opened up, BOOM!!!   You see how quickly AC lost a huge chunk of business......that has been one of the more compelling (and baffling) features of this whole saga:  Not simply that AC lost a huge amount of business, but that it happened within 5-6 years!!!    If AC had been taking care of its business and customers, and doing a good job right by them  up to and including 2006, then they would not have left in such droves and so precipitously!    Think about that........!    If all the (former Atlantic City) customers currently frequenting the Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware Casinos decided to give the few remaining AC casinos (in their current state of readiness and practice)  "ONE MORE CHANCE", what do you think will happen???For Atlantic City It is no mystery what happened and how it happened, not anymore!For a long time (27 years to be exact --  1979 until 2006) Atlantic City had a stranglehold on the EAST COAST Gambling Market.....It's true, a few Tribal Gaming concerns opened up (most notable of which were the two Connecticut Casinos) but by and large, until Pennsylvania went "all in" so to speak, AC was the place to be for gambling outside the state of Nevada.    But even before 2006, anytime I ever heard Atlantic City discussed or mentioned during talks about gambling in general, it was always with a certain disdain or negative vibe.    Since I never personally actually made it to AC until February 2009, almost ALL my discussions about AC took place while I was in and around LAS VEGAS!   Any dealer, or bartender or pit boss or cabbie or waitress, or whomever, I spoke to who had a first person knowledge of what AC was like almost ALWAYS spoke of AC as extremely disadvantaged when compared to Las Vegas.   I did not fully grasp what was behind this consistently negative portrayal but looking back now, I definitely  "GET IT" .... !  Whether we were discussing the Quality of food and/or specific restaurants; Hotel services;  Attitude and friendliness of employees or cabbies; or the many GAMBLING topics and issues, it was clear that AC was way behind Vegas in all categories.Prior to 2006, Atlantic City could get away with this sub-par performance back then because it was really the only option for the vast majority of Gamblers east of the Mississippi who did NOT want to (or simply COULD NOT) fly to Vegas or Reno!    That changed once the state of  Pennsylvania approved gambling and opened the first of numerous casinos in rapid succession starting in 2006!!!   What followed is nothing short of amazing.....New Jersey

[Tedlark]

  DaBurglar nothing you do bothers me nor do I HATE your litany of AC posts. What I tired of was you singing the same old tired song about the sorry state of video poker is in Atlantic City. What I tired of was your barrarge of suggestions for how to get Atlantic City back into its former self. What I tired of is you not being open to accepting the fact that someone can have an opposing view of yours.    How can you now be "livid" about the Taj closing when, as I have previously stated, you yourself had advocated for the closing of several casinos in Atlantic City.   You are the one posting here about how accurate you were with your "predictions", I make no mention of touting you as prophet or anything else for that matter.   You also write that: I mentioned in my previous post how some people (LEAD BY YOU) have HATED my whole litany of AC posts, which stretch back well before 2011 BEFORE Chris Christie launched the CRDA and before the "DO AC" campaign (if you can call it that) and before ALL KINDS of other efforts and initiatives were launched to somehow "save" AC.         I cut exactly your writings above. The text highlighted in RED is questionable though because how could you claim that you have been making postings: which stretch back well before 2011 WHEN YOU JOINED THIS SITE ON JUNE 16, 2011?   So how could your posts stretch back well before 2011 when you didn't join the site until June 16, 2011?   And finally you say that: "here's why I wrote what I did." I knew you would, again, try to spin it back into your favor.     Edited to add: I know you have mentioned in the past that you are a consultant. I am getting the impression that you may have done some consulting work for an Atlantic City business in the past and your contract was not renewed or terminated? Sour grapes maybe?

[DaBurglar]

  DaBurglar nothing you do bothers me nor do I HATE your litany of AC posts. What I tired of was you singing the same old tired song about the sorry state of video poker is in Atlantic City. What I tired of was your barrarge of suggestions for how to get Atlantic City back into its former self. What I tired of is you not being open to accepting the fact that someone can have an opposing view of yours.    How can you now be "livid" about the Taj closing when, as I have previously stated, you yourself had advocated for the closing of several casinos in Atlantic City.   You are the one posting here about how accurate you were with your "predictions", I make no mention of touting you as prophet or anything else for that matter.   You also write that: I mentioned in my previous post how some people (LEAD BY YOU) have HATED my whole litany of AC posts, which stretch back well before 2011 BEFORE Chris Christie launched the CRDA and before the "DO AC" campaign (if you can call it that) and before ALL KINDS of other efforts and initiatives were launched to somehow "save" AC.         I cut exactly your writings above. The text highlighted in RED is questionable though because how could you claim that you have been making postings: which stretch back well before 2011 WHEN YOU JOINED THIS SITE ON JUNE 16, 2011?   So how could your posts stretch back well before 2011 when you didn't join the site until June 16, 2011?   And finally you say that: "here's why I wrote what I did." I knew you would, again, try to spin it back into your favor.     Edited to add: I know you have mentioned in the past that you are a consultant. I am getting the impression that you may have done some consulting work for an Atlantic City business in the past and your contract was not renewed or terminated? Sour grapes maybe?
UGh.....you must be the ONLY one here who bothers to read ALL of my posts, from beginning to end.   Therefore your whole misguided notional baloney about you having to "save" some naive innocent wandering newbie from all of my "misinformation and distortion of reality" is bunk because I make my posts so wordy no one can finish them....but this time you really outdid yourself....well done.   Text highlites, colored text and a complete and thorough criticism .....Obviously I made a mistake with the date(s) of my first post/forum visit/etc.   It was an honest mistake, since I am positive I was lurking/reading here well before my first official post date, so it seems like I was here well before 2011....but still June 2011 , that's close enough to the start dates of the CRDA and "do AC" etc........does not change the point of my post nor detract from it.        And just so you dont get any smug satisfaction, I coul dhave just said "Oops, I meant to type 2012."  And there would not be a single thing you could do about it to prove otherwise no matter how much you whined or said "I knew you'd do that Burglar!!!"  wahh wahhhh  Hey ted?  NO one gives a flying flip except you about all this.....dont you get that yet???    The only person munching popcorn and getting off on this display of yours is (maybe) Doris.....I mean, I could write the biggest load of pointless fictional garbage and, after you tear it apart like a puppy with the newspaper, NO one would care......You succeed in sucking the life out of every thread I attempt to make.And NO, you dont "JUST point out all the misinformation and flip flops" or whatever else YOU happen  to think I do thats just plain criminal or wrong.    It's way beyond that and anyone can see that (most have or do.)Take the Blue/Violet line I highlited.....read it......now, C'mon man!   That's Bullpoop (there I didnt use profanity, happy?)     EVERYTHING I write bothers you, and if I were as obsessive and petty as you, I'd go back and find the numerous times you came out and actually SAID I bothered you (or something I said or did bothered you.)   But I dont need to because its obvious by what you wrote simply in this post ALONE......the whole post, and tone, screams "You bother me and therefore, this is what I write in response!"And you twist and distort and invert quite a bit of what I write, restating or repackaging words and phrases to suit your frame of mind.....You are quite subtle at it sometimes I'll give you that, and you are masterful sometimes in creating RED HERRINGS....they are everywhere in your posts, not just this one but going waay way back.I never "ADVOCATED" to closing AC casinos, I am sure what I said/meant was given the inability of the powers that be to CHANGE anything in the current business equation, then closing casinos is INEVITABLE and would have to be done in order to save the rest of the casinos.    Big difference......And the only thing I "spin" is my wheels....you do this ALL the time....you hurl some generic baseless accusation at me, then when I offer some explanation or counter argument you accuse me next of "Spinning blah blah blah into my favor..."      My favor for what????!!!?!?!?    Seriously, what?!?!?   WHat do I win???    Where's the check??  Where's the keys??   Behind door number 1, 2 or 3????       GeeeezANd finally......W.T.F.  is this "sour grapes" statement/question at the end supposed to be?    Explain to me the thought process, and motivation.......explain to me THE PURPOSE of you even CONJURING UP  such a thought in your head, let alone writing it into a post on a forum for all the world to see......What are you trying to do Ted???  This is not the first time you have insinuated some purely (negative, mean spirited) conjecture into one of your posts about my life and what you THINK might be going on......this has nothing to do with you "correcting errors" or pointing out "misinformation" or even responding ham handedly to some perceived insult by me towards you.    Why would you even post that???