Casino Connection Atlantic City

Archives

Luxury For Less

The opening of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas last week has confirmed that the luxury segment of the gaming market is alive and well. But when Steve Wynn reduced the room rates at both Encore and Wynn Las Vegas prior to opening,  you have to wonder about the price-sensitivity of that segment.
While a room at […]

Pressing Their Advantage

Despite opposition from the Florida Supreme Court and House Speaker Marco Rubio, Las Vegas-style gaming continues to be added to the state’s tribal casinos–and it may be too late to stop them from proliferating.
A few weeks back, the Immokalee Seminole Casino added 12 blackjack tables for what casino spokesman Gary Bitner termed a “soft opening.” […]

Snow Kidding

It was a once-in-a-generation experience in Las Vegas last week. The first measureable snowstorm hit Vegas on Wednesday for the time since 2003 (1.3 inches) and it was the largest storm since 1979 when about 7 inches were recorded. It was a winter wonderland, with about 4 inches landing on the Strip. But the surrounding […]

That’s the Spirit

Coming in February, the Atlantic City Express Service, or ACES, will officially launch direct train service between Atlantic City and New York’s Penn Station. And starting in May, Spirit Airlines will offer direct air service between Atlantic City and Boston via Atlantic City International. Just as the economy is putting up obstacles to travel and […]

In AC, Smaller Casinos on Shaky Ground

As the economy continues its Coney Island ride, Atlantic City’s two smallest casino properties–including Resorts, the first casino to open on the island, 30 years ago–face a tenuous future.
In November, Resorts International Holdings, which also owns the Atlantic City Hilton, failed to make a scheduled interest payment. It has since begun debt-restructuring negotiations with its lender and instituted […]

Selling the Sizzle

The Mirage unveiled the $25 million makeover to its iconic volcano Monday evening. It’s essentially a more modern and technologically sophisticated version of the almost 20-year-old Strip attraction. Instead of simulating a volcano eruption as it used to, complete with canned volcano sounds, it is now a series of explosions—think the fountains at the Bellagio […]

Not Good Enough

A bill passed in the New Jersey Senate last week changes the prohibition against casino employees running for public office in Atlantic City. This ancient ban has resulted in the sad state of affairs in which Atlantic City found itself over the past 10 years. The truly talented people who live in Atlantic City include […]