Atlantic City Casinos Suffer
Sunday May 13, 2007
Revenues declined again in Atlantic City making April the worst month in what has been a bad year for the New Jersey Casinos. Slots revenue was $284.4 million, down 12.3 percent, while table games revenues were $112.4 million, a decrease of 3.1 percent from a year ago.
For the first four months of 2007 overall revenue is down 4.1 percent over last year. There were several factors being blamed for the decline. New slots parlors in Pennsylvania and New York are putting on Atlantic City's casinos. The new smoking law restricting smoking to no more than 25 percent of the casino floor is also being blamed as a big part of the decline. The casinos are hoping for a warm Spring and Summer to help increase visitors and revenues.
Comments
It’s no surprise to me the casino revenue has declined,especially with the new laws
which dictate where you can and cannot smoke.I’ve been frequenting Atlantic City
for 25 years.It was a place where you could go to have fun and escape the reality
of the outside world.
When I first heard the buzz regarding the no smoking law some years ago I figured,
this would never fly and they would indeed lose the high roller action.I come to find
they in fact did the opposite,they kept designated the smoking primarily in the high
limit areas.I think this is a very unjust way of deciding who gets to smoke and where
because they have larger bankrolls so they deserve special treatment.
I must say, I am very happy they are losing revenue,they should. High rollers come
and go, but the small players are the cash cows of the casino industry.The best
part is they have 2 signs,the first is “NO SMOKING” the second is”SMOKING
PERMITTED FOR ACTIVE PLAYERS ONLY.” If you play you can smoke?
Are these people for real? The law in itself is not only reverse discrimination
but a crime.Who are they to tell you smoking is only allowed if you’re playing?
This very thing I’m mentioning here has happened to me last week.I received
a postcard indicating where the smoking would and would not be allowed.
They mentioned nothing with regards to “ACTIVE PLAYERS ONLY.” I
was at Harrah’s and played for some 4 hours on a $1 machine which has
no smoking.After I was done I went to the smoking section by an ashtray
and lit a cigarette.The guard came running over to me and told me to put out
the cigarette and that I could be fined.I was told you must play in order to
smoke.
I will never go back to Atlantic City again and that was my favorite past time
for years.They did me a favor,I save money.They will not get dime one.
Why do they sell cigarettes if you can’t smoke them? I blame the people
because they don’t speak up and that’s why this country has gone down
the tubes.Not just this but everything else.My advice to all is fight back!
The casinos are starting to feel the pinch so the plan is already backfiring.
I go to atlantic city casinos all the time. I am glad they are loosing money.They are going to lose even more.
They no longer are interested in their bread and butter crowd. They are actively courting the younger crowd with money to spend. That younger crowd are not going to gamble. They come to party and run to the nearest hotel room. they no longer are interested in players who come at least 4-5 times per month with social security checks, pension checks, in hand. I know people who go every day of the week. We may not be high rollers, but we keep these casinos open for business.
Now you can’t even smoke. I don’t even order a drink who wants to when you can’t smoke. Going to the casino is beginning to be a royal pain in my behind. The slot machines are super tight. You rarely hear jackpots ringing off. My husband and have been going for twenty years. Not anymore. The casinos had better get their acts together and start doing some player surverys and find out what the customers feel and think. After all I thought the casino industry wanted the customers money.
We are staying home.Its not fun anymore.
I’m glad that they stopped most of the smoking. It wasn’t pleasant to sit next to a fowl odor. The smokers have no regard for people who dont smoke. They smell up the place. That is why most dealers don’t want to deal in smoking areas. If they stopped smoking they would save a lot of lives including their own.
Since the smoking law went into effect, I do not care to go to AC anymore. I will wait until November when Mt Airy opens in the Pocono’s. Not only is this unfair to the smokers, the casino’s put whatever machines they feel like in the little smoking areas that exist.