Casino closings in NJ
 

Four Atlantic City casinos were closed and 8,000 jobs were lost so far. And a continuing ripple effect is expected.

Is there a lesson to be learned here? Yes. States should think twice before building their economies on a house of cards (pun intended).

Neighboring states thought about it and decided to get into the gambling business, thus ending the Atlantic City monopoly. There is no need to travel to NJ any longer to gamble, while casinos in CT and PA are thriving.

I understand that Jimmy Buffett also closed his casino in Biloxi, MS yeaterday. Seems the wave is not restricted to Jersey!

How do you believe that entire NJ state economy was built on casinos?

Just as an aside. six of the casinos in NJ have and are continuing to do well. One of the ones that closed has always been profitable (there were other business reasons for it being closed). Unlike Vegas, Atlantic City has never really developed outside of the casinos. The explosion of lotteries, the opening of gambling in both other places and in other ways (e.g., online) continue to change as well.

Not so for the CT casinos. Foxwoods has cut way back and is considering closing and Mohegan Sun paid 10 million in penalties in 08 shutting down an expansion project, after the foundation was poured. It will be interesting to see what happens when MA opens 1 or 2 casinos.

Proliferation of gambling across the U.S. has hurt business even in Las Vegas the better known gambling capital of the world. Too much of a good thing or bad thing often self destructs.

The closing of the casino's reflect a downward trend in people wanting to gamble at AC. There are other places that are closer for true gamblers. AC never had any other attractions to draw people, other than the boardwalk, but that was at the turn of the 20th century. :D

Just like any former popular place when patrons decide to take their business, somewhere else. Nothing more, nothing less.

Don't forget Maine Has 2

How far we have come from a majority that viewed gambling as an evil vice to casinos on every corner lotteries etc.

Law enforcement officials raided bookie joints, night clubs back alley dice games, until they got their cut of the action.

Off Track Betting was a hug business in New York and today it is shut down.

Lotteries are found at every gas station and grocery store and along side the lottery machine is a notice and phone number for Gamblers Anonymous .

Many people have finally figured out that they are not special and that God has not singled them out for greatness and riches and that a better way to get richer is to direct that gambling money to a savings account

Atlantic City had NO hospitality. I would fly to Vegas before going to AC

Huh ???
 

First of all, it is not the state that had anything to do with gaming going to a particular area; it was either a county thing or definitive area within a county. Once gaming was voted into an area, there were far more plusses than negatives.


I disagree. Just too many casinos operating within a too small area. Put in other terms, there was a glut of casinos. When that many casinos close, it has nothing to do with that many people deciding to play somewhere else.

There are many "true" gamblers that still go to Atlantic City. Closer doesn't matter when a person has a favorite place because they are treated royally and they don't want to change where they play. It is a comfort zone with them and some even consider it status and like to brag about it.

What do you mean Atlantic City never had any other attractions other than the boardwalk??? Are you serious? Atlantic City had (and still has) beautiful wide beaches. It had the Steel Pier and rolling chairs on the boardwalk and beautiful hotels. It was a resort town second to none years ago and I'm not speaking about "the turn of the century." The turn of the century? Where did that come from? We aren't speaking about 1899 or even 1901. As a child growing up there, it was definitely on the map and a place to go!


Atlantic City had no hospitality? What does THAT mean???

Colorado ---- legalization of marijuana creates 9,000 jobs --------all states should learn from -----

Peyton Manning owns 21 Papa Johns franchises around Denver. Said business has been up lately.[emoji6]

[QUOTE=Bonanza;946457]First of all, it is not the state that had anything to do with gaming going to a particular area; it was either a county thing or definitive area within a county. Once gaming was voted into an area, there were far more plusses than negatives.




Sorry, Bonanza! The State had everything to do with it! It was a state-wide referendum that decided gambling specifically in Atlantic City and was NOT a local or a county "thing"!

From your favorite reference site:
"In 1974, New Jersey voters voted against legalizing casino gambling statewide, but two years later approved a new referendum which legalized casinos, but restricted them to Atlantic City.[10][11] At that time, Nevada was the only state with legal casino gambling. Resorts Atlantic City was the first casino to open in 1978.[12] As part of the state's budget showdown in 2006, gambling in Atlantic City's casinos and at racetracks in the state were forced to close after it was determined that the official monitors from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission were essential and New Jersey law stated that gambling establishments could not legally operate without state oversight. The closures cost the state an estimated $1.3 million in casino revenues in addition to the loss of state taxes collected on casino employee wages"
[Gambling in New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'

And from an historical perspective piece:
The History of A.C.’s Gaming Decline | The Save Jersey Blog

n j needs to put casino up north,somewhere near rt 80. keep instate gambling instate.

I remember AC before the casino's. It was a lot of fun and the place for families to go. Seaside heights too.

I wasn't referring to the issue of gaming going to a particular area within a county.

Counties are, to a large extent, controlled by state law. That's why I said, "States should think twice about building their economies on a house of cards."

There's an article on this: "New Jersey Governor To Take control over State Gambling Industry." Governor Christ Christie of New Jersey is at the stage where he will need to make an important decision regarding the future of gambling in the state.

Counties don't control the state, the state controls the counties.

It's still fun for families. You have the beach, arcades, the rides and restaurants. My family loved going there.

A search on 'Atlantic City Tourism District" revealed more recent articles re the actual legislation that was enacted. A good article on same is found here: State defines boundaries for Atlantic City Tourism District; Langford casts lone 'no' vote - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Casinos & Tourism And another is here: Atlantic City Tourism District Improvements Begin

The State has always controlled gambling in A.C. under the Casion Control Commission and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority - neither of which has been eliminated but simply placed under new jurisdiction within the State government.

Lost of folks - locals and visiotrs - have been enjoying the resurrected Steel Pier! Rides and Attractions at Steel Pier

Even the beach bars have been enjoying popularity!
Atlantic City Beach Bars - Beach Bars in Atlantic City - Atlantic City

There's more to A.C. today and the casinos are not necessarily benefitting from it!

DW & I went to AC summer of 2013 after a neice's wedding in Michigan. We stayed at Ballys. Not the most modern hotel in town, but very nice and quite reasonable.
Loved the boardwalk and the nearby pier.
But, I don't think AC is a very nice place once you get out of the casino area.
All in all, it was a fun trip.

I used to go there pretty often. I would drive into Bally's parking lot, gamble then drive back out of AC. Not a very nice area.

I disagree. Just too many casinos operating within a too small area. Put in other terms, there was a glut of casinos. When that many casinos close, it has nothing to do with that many people deciding to play somewhere else.

There are many "true" gamblers that still go to Atlantic City. Closer doesn't matter when a person has a favorite place because they are treated royally and they don't want to change where they play. It is a comfort zone with them and some even consider it status and like to brag about it.

What do you mean Atlantic City never had any other attractions other than the boardwalk??? Are you serious? Atlantic City had (and still has) beautiful wide beaches. It had the Steel Pier and rolling chairs on the boardwalk and beautiful hotels. It was a resort town second to none years ago and I'm not speaking about "the turn of the century." The turn of the century? Where did that come from? We aren't speaking about 1899 or even 1901. As a child growing up there, it was definitely on the map and a place to go!


I agree to disagree. Jersey has many seaside towns, that people visit. I haven't heard too many people that specifically wanted to go to AC for the beach and boardwalk. It has been a rundown area near the casino, with people not willing to venture out and about.

Most people I know, don't want to jump in a car and and drive 3 hours to AC when they can gamble at a place closer. It doesn't have the attractiveness it once had, and most people don't want to take a long trip to gamble. If one lives close to AC, that is an option for people in the near vicinity.

You are entitled to your opinion as I am!!!

ac is a dump,its returning to its 1970 look. the beach is so small and dirty and the boardwalk you cant go on it at night.

Revel cost $2.4 billion - sold for $110 million. Atlantic City casino Revel sold for pennies on the dollar - Fortune

Not sure what your agenda is. :crap2:
While I agree that AC isn't the Paris of the East Coast, we found the beaches near Ballys (where we stayed) to be nice, and we were on the boardwalk EVERY night during our mini-vacation last summer.

NY Is Getting Into The Mix Too
 

NY now has limited gambling (slots,no blackjack) at old racetracks located in Queens and Yonkers, as well as full service casinos upstate which are run by the Indian Nations.

There is intense competition in planning for several new complete casinos which will opening up just outside the city limits and beyond with the possibility of casinos eventually opening up in NYC some years down the line.

It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't proposition. Don't allow gambling, and that state's gamblers will take their money to neighboring states. Allow gambling, and along with it comes all it's problems.

Atlantic City is clearly not what it once was. Atlantic City has not experienced a rebirth as a result of the introduction of gambling as was hoped (nor has Camden with the battleship New Jersey plus an aquarium or Newark with both a state of the art indoor arena for hockey/basketball/concerts and a gorgeous Performing Arts Center). Nonetheless, Atlantic City - and the surrounding areas, still has much to offer including the remaining casinos, the beaches and boardwalks. We just had our 50th high school reunion over two days in AC for 150+ people at Resorts. All of us had a terrific time. My wife and I finally made a little side trip to see Lucy in Margate and the Mammal Rescue Center in Brigantine (an island city in Atlantic County). AC is accessible from NYC, closer to Philadelphia, and nearby to most of NJ. Hopefully it will someday regain more of its former glory.

Sorry, Bonanza! The State had everything to do with it! It was a state-wide referendum that decided gambling specifically in Atlantic City and was NOT a local or a county "thing"!

From your favorite reference site:
"In 1974, New Jersey voters voted against legalizing casino gambling statewide, but two years later approved a new referendum which legalized casinos, but restricted them to Atlantic City.[10][11] At that time, Nevada was the only state with legal casino gambling. Resorts Atlantic City was the first casino to open in 1978.[12] As part of the state's budget showdown in 2006, gambling in Atlantic City's casinos and at racetracks in the state were forced to close after it was determined that the official monitors from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission were essential and New Jersey law stated that gambling establishments could not legally operate without state oversight. The closures cost the state an estimated $1.3 million in casino revenues in addition to the loss of state taxes collected on casino employee wages"
[Gambling in New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'

And from an historical perspective piece:
The History of A.C.’s Gaming Decline | The Save Jersey Blog[/QUOTE]

Once again you are incorrect. It was not the state that had anything to do with gaming going into a particular area -- Atlantic City in this case. It was the vote of the people. Not enough votes? No gaming in Atlantic City. Even with the winning vote, the boundaries within Atlantic City where gaming would go, were determined after the fact and then grew even beyond that.

I don't know how you know I have a favorite reference site, because I don't have one. When I need to research a topic, I refer to many websites to get the "bigger picture." I see you like and trust Wikipedia, specifically. Your quote is very limited. The loss of state monies from employees taxes and business is nothing compared to the revenue brought in from gaming and employees in the gaming industry.

Your knowledge of Atlantic City and gaming is only from what you read on Wikipedia, obviously. You cannot speak from first hand information as I can. Having been raised there, gone to school there, voting for gaming and subsequently from working there from before even day one, my information is much more accurate than yours, which only permits you to read from articles. It does not allow you to have the ability of seeing and knowing what went on there on a day-to-day basis.

Once again you are incorrect. It was not the state that had anything to do with gaming going into a particular area -- Atlantic City in this case. It was the vote of the people. Not enough votes? No gaming in Atlantic City. Even with the winning vote, the boundaries within Atlantic City where gaming would go, were determined after the fact and then grew even beyond that.

I don't know how you know I have a favorite reference site, because I don't have one. When I need to research a topic, I refer to many websites to get the "bigger picture." I see you like and trust Wikipedia, specifically. Your quote is very limited. The loss of state monies from employees taxes and business is nothing compared to the revenue brought in from gaming and employees in the gaming industry.

Your knowledge of Atlantic City and gaming is only from what you read on Wikipedia, obviously. You cannot speak from first hand information as I can. Having been raised there, gone to school there, voting for gaming and subsequently from working there from before even day one, my information is much more accurate than yours, which only permits you to read from articles. It does not allow you to have the ability of seeing and knowing what went on there on a day-to-day basis.[/QUOTE]

LOLOLOLOLOL

Had the State not authorized the referendum on the ballot - the people could not have exercised their desire and the State could not have as easily gone forward with the necessary legislation.

And as far as having "the ability of seeing and knowing what went on there on a day-to-day basis." Have been going there since the days of the Steel Pier, Miss America, Kinght's hamburgers, the Clairidge hotel, the Mr. Peanut store, Resorts opening day, Beach Boys concerts on the beach, Superstorm Sandy and the annual Fireman's conventin there and since Wildwood. So please don't assume that your accuracy is better than anyone else's - including mine. Rather than read about A.C., I can go there any day I care to for a dose of A.C. reality.

casino bread and butter are video slots programmed to loose. So once you raped your customer base and put the idiot's in the poor your doomed. Only Moron's play video slots where you have no chance of winning THE BIGGEST PRIZE, you win just enough to think I can Till your DEAD Broke. Too bad they don't close all of them.

I've been out of the area for about ten years, maybe it's radically changed. I always had fun there, kind of like a mini-vacation close to home.

I think a better airport situation would have helped, I was just a 45 minute flight from LI but friends coming in from the W. Coast from Cal for conventions would fly into Phillie and have to rent a car. It was a pain in the butt for them.

I really miss going there.

Atlantic City was built in the early 1900's as the closest place to Philadelphia. Reading and PRR went in on building the Reading-Pennsylvania Seashore lines. Went there often in late '50s up to '66 when it was no longer good. Used to go to Hackney's.

The Casinos were to invest in rebuilding AC, but they did not.

[QUOTE=Bonanza;948483][B][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"]Of course slot machines are programmed for the house to win the lion's share. So are the odds on each game with craps having the best odds for the customer.


I think that's pipe dream nowhere near 83% pay out. There some much corruption in gaming I sure even the the odds maker on what the slots pay out in paid off. Several Casino's have refused to paid out winnings. One in my old area made big mistake said on TV news report the slot was't programmed to win. The old lady that won $13k got some press coverage they paid out to hide there dirty secret.

Also been several news investigation (one I remember on 20/20) about slot programming it was nowhere near 83%. More like 6% if I remember and the. Grand prize was closer to .002 straight for the employee mouth that programmed the machine's.

Again only total moron's plays Video slots where it's in casino's, bars or online, maybe back when they were mechanical you had wing and prayer chance. but not in the day of the computer IMO

LOLOLOLOLOL

Had the State not authorized the referendum on the ballot - the people could not have exercised their desire and the State could not have as easily gone forward with the necessary legislation.

And as far as having "the ability of seeing and knowing what went on there on a day-to-day basis." Have been going there since the days of the Steel Pier, Miss America, Kinght's hamburgers, the Clairidge hotel, the Mr. Peanut store, Resorts opening day, Beach Boys concerts on the beach, Superstorm Sandy and the annual Fireman's conventin there and since Wildwood. So please don't assume that your accuracy is better than anyone else's - including mine. Rather than read about A.C., I can go there any day I care to for a dose of A.C. reality.[/QUOTE]

Okay, madam -- let's not split hairs. The state authorized the referendum after enough signatures from the public were gathered with heavy pressure from the gaming industry.

You are mentioning things and places that millions of people have experienced, and all those experiences were as a tourist and have nothing to do with gaming. You brought up hurricane Sandy which has nothing to do with casinos in addition to only happening a few years ago. I have never heard of Kinght's Hamburgers or of an annual Fireman's convention and bringing that and other things into this thread also have no meaning when speaking about the casinos.

You stated you were at Resorts on their opening day. I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.

I never said that my "accuracy" is better than anyone else's, so please don't even intimate that's what I've said. And yes -- because I lived there before and during the advent of casinos and worked there for five years, there is no doubt in my mind that this is one area where I definitely know more than you.

Having grown up in Philadelphia and worked most of my adult life in and around NYC, I visted Atlantic City often. Sometimes with friends, more frequently for conferences. I did not find it to be a nice place. Las Vegas has more to do. You can get out and walk around the city. AC has never had that same appeal for me, once I leave the Boardwalk and the immediate proximity of the hotels. I think a lot of people feel that way. When conferences end, most people line up, check out and leave. In Vegas, people stay and take in a show or tour the area.