Atlantic City Newsfeed

Assorted news items related to Atlantic City.

CASINOS
United States Poker Championship Returns to Television
The Spike Network will televise this year's United States Poker Championship, which began this past Monday at the Trump Taj Mahal.
Poker championship at Taj Mahal returns to TV

New Jersey Permitted to Join Sports Betting Lawsuit
In a move that could pave the way for New Jersey to join with other states to challenge a 1992 federal law prohibiting sports-betting in all but four states, a federal judge ruled that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine will be permitted to file a formal complaint.  He will be required to do so before November 12, 2009.
Governor's Office can take part in sports betting lawsuit
N.J. CAN JOIN SPORTS BETTING LAWSUIT

Harrah's Fined $85,000 for Allowing Underage Gambling
Harrah's was fined for two separate underage gambling incidents.  The violations occurred in 2006 and 2008 at Bally's and Caesars.  Of note in the Press of Atlantic City and NBC 40 articles is that neither identifies the parent company, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
Two casinos fined $85,000 for underage gambling violations
2 A.C. CASINOS FINED FOR ALLOWING UNDERAGE GAMBLING


TRANSPORTATION
Atlantic City Has Cheapest Airfares
A recently released Bureau of Transportation statistics report recognized Atlantic City International Airport as having the cheapest average domestic fares in the nation.  The same report identified Las Vegas as having the fifth largest increase in average fares over the past 14 years, with a 65.3% increase in the cost of a ticket to that Nevada gambling destination (though, it should also be noted that the $233 average cost for a flight to Las Vegas is still below the national average of $301 per flight).

Read the full press release here:
2nd-Quarter 2009 Air Fare Data

Atlantic City Expressway Widening Begins

Last Friday, October 30 the South Jersey Transportation Authority broke ground to begin a $23.3 million construction project to add a third westbound lane from mile 7.8 (just past the Garden State Parkway exits while leaving town) to mile 17.4 (near the tolls).  The project is not scheduled to be completed until 2011.
South Jersey Transportation Authority Breaks Ground on Phase I of the Atlantic City Expressway Widening Project
SJTA BREAKS GROUND ON PHASE I OF EXPRESSWAY WIDENING PROJECT from NBC40.net


Other News
World War I Monument and Knife and Fork Not Moving
The Press of Atlantic City reports that the proposed moving of the venerable Knife and Fork restaurant and the World War I Monument have been canceled, as the AC Gateway casino project seems to be dead.
Atlantic City's Knife & Fork staying put
The AC Gateway Project : Wally Barr and Curtis Bashaws Plans For The Dunes, Sahara Atlantic City and Old Atlantic City High School (read this for background information on the AC Gateway project)

Another Request to Lower Sand Dunes
NBC 40 reported on a meeting between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and business owners from Atlantic City to reduce the height of the sand dunes.  Members of the "Boardwalk Committee" would like visitors to be able to see the ocean more clearly from the Boardwalk, but the DEP is not in favor of these measure.  I find this request dubious, as it seems local businesses are forgetting the reality of life on a barrier island and just how important the dunes will be when the next big storm rolls in.

D.E.P. LISTENS TO DUNE LOWERING REQUEST IN A.C. (recent article)
Boardwalk Committee wants to shorten dunes blocking ocean (from Press of Atlantic City, 6/10/2009)

Dune Issue Still Alive (from Pinky's Corner in Atlantic City Weekly, 10/14/2009)


Gap Outlet Reopens
Outlet store to reopen in Atlantic City as Gap Generation

Harrah's Announces 3rd Quarter Losses, While Borgata Revenue Falls, Profit Rises

Two articles from the Press of Atlantic City business section today outline falling revenues for both Harrah's and Borgata, though Borgata was able to increase profits.

Borgata net revenue declines in third quarter
Harrah's Atlantic City net revenue slips to $558 million in 3rd quarter

Harrah's Atlantic City Bayview Tower Room 9070 (1/2009)

Pictures from Harrah's Atlantic City Bayview Tower Room 9070, from January 24, 2009.

Atlantic City Cuts Back on Service

During this past weekend in Atlantic City it became obvious that cutbacks in service will continue for the foreseeable future. Everywhere you looked you could find another restaurant reducing hours or a casino cutting back on some seemingly minor detail. Let's start at the cashier cage, where Showboat closed their second "cage" months ago and seems to lop off one more teller window from their existing cashier's booth every time I return. At Wild West, the line normally reserved for Diamond members disappears after a certain hour. At Caesars, the cashier near the poker room is down to one window for poker players to buy chips and the tellers who used to cash slot tickets have been gone for weeks. I've even heard reports of Harrah's closing the Diamond line for their buffet. So, if you are looking for places where the casino layoffs are affecting players, then take a look at the line that forms when a high-roller is cashing out chips and needs managerial approval while everyone else in the casino waits for the one available teller who can convert their chips to cash. This isn't the sort of service that will make folks want to return to Atlantic City.

This cutback in service doesn't apply only to the casino cage. Showboat was ahead of the curve months ago when they starting closing their buffet two days during each week and have now drastically cutback on the hours of their Mansion Cafe coffee shop. Slot Club booths are no longer open late in the night on Fridays and Sundays. The My Borgata club wasn't even open at midnight this past Saturday and midnight is long before the party crowd kicks into full swing in Atlantic City's most upscale resort. Among the most telling examples, however, of the mediocrity that casinos are presenting to their customers were the signs I noticed on a variety of video poker machines explaining that certain promotional "cupons" will not "be issued for Hand Paid Jackpots paid on this machine." I'll forgive folks for bad spelling, but in order for these stickers to be applied across the casino they much first have been printed without anyone proofreading them and after the stickers arrived, management must have decided it wasn't worth the few dollars it would have cost to reprint the labels to correct this spelling error. It's sloppy and unprofessional, although you may be able to forgive casino employees these days, since their management isn't providing them with the resources to take care of routine customer needs and is forcing the employees who haven't been laid off to pick of the slack of their sacked co-workers. It's not fair to them and it's certainly not the sort of thing that makes anyone believe that anyone in Atlantic City has a plan to retain what remains of their customer base.

Things aren't looking good.

Harrah's Atlantic City Marina Tower Luxury Room 15024 (10/2008)

Pictures from Harrah's Atlantic City Marina Tower Luxury Room 15024, from October 10, 2008

Harrah's Atlantic City Marina Tower Room 14011 (12/2007)

Pictures from Harrah's Atlantic City Marina Tower Room 14011, from December 27, 2007