AC closing in on Vegas?

[NickMPK]

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Years ago Trop tried to convince the other casinos to stop comping gamblers completely, arguing they'd come anyway. Bus comps were reduced and all but eliminated but it didn't go any further.

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Huh? Every AC casino except Borgata still has bus comps, at least as of a couple months ago.

[vhawk01]

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Years ago Trop tried to convince the other casinos to stop comping gamblers completely, arguing they'd come anyway. Bus comps were reduced and all but eliminated but it didn't go any further.

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Huh? Every AC casino except Borgata still has bus comps, at least as of a couple months ago.

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As of Thursday.

[zerocarb]

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Someone pull the chain and flush this turd for good.

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LOL. While you're, ahem, wiping, I'll be deciding where to go eat dinner tonight. Perhaps one of the classics like the Knife & Fork or Dock's Oyster House, or maybe The Palm, Morton's or Ruth's Chris for a steak. Perhaps Wolfgang Puck's, Bobby Flay's or Michael Mina's at the Borgata. So few choices in this sad toilet town.

[pocketpared]

I've been going to AC since it opened. I live in NJ. For 12 years I went anywhere in the country for one week every other week when there was a beatable blackjack game. Someone once asked me what my favorite casino in the country was. I told them "I don't have one. You can put a blackjack table in a septic tank and if the rules and pen are good and they don't sweat then that's my favorite game." I'm not interested in restaurants. I've been comped to every suite and gourmet restaurant in an AC casino (CT as well) and + ev is wolfing down a fast hotdog or slice of pizza for energy so I can get back to whatever game I'm punishing. Food is just a source of carbs and protein to me. Nothing more. As for bus comps they used to be + ev as well. $10 in coins, a voucher for your next ride and some sort of food comp thrown it. That went away. Casinos in AC have been further reducing comps since the beginning of the year. AC is a cesspool.

ps Just did a quick search..bus comps seem to have improved a bit but they're not + ev like they used to be..
http://www.academybus.com/casinos_packages.asp
http://www.academybus.com/Upload/PDFs/route_49.pdf

[Cactus Jack]

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LV is more than gambling.

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I know most people probably agree with you, but as far as I'm concerned all Vegas has is gambling. AC has the beach and boardwalk, both of which are suprisingly nice (the beach is a lot nicer than it was 15 years ago when I went for the first time).

I went to Vegas for the first time last year and was bored when not playing poker, and the poker was not as good as in AC (and nowhere near as good as in California). Some of the stuff at the big casinos was interesting to look at _once_, but I have no desire to ever see it again.

Honestly I have no idea what the allure of Vegas is. If you live on the East Coast, like poker and the beach, go to AC. If you really just want great poker (and want other interesting things to do as well), go to Los Angeles or the Bay Area of California. If you're a degenerate gambler who doesn't mind never being outside, go to Vegas.

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If all these places were dependent on poker, then you're point is well put. But, as an example of extreme myopia, I think you are unable to see the broad picture.

How many people go to AC who don't gamble? If it's a large percentage, I'd be surprised. That's not the case in LV. An amazing percentage come here with no intention of gambling, and that's not including the numbers of people who come here as part of conventions and business meetings.

There's around 50 conventions this month, of anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands. There was a family reunion at the Orleans last week attended by over 100. There might have been a poker player in the family, but chances are good you wouldn't have known the fact that a hundred people came from all over to be with their family in LV.

When AC opened, LV was predicted to die. People from the East Coast would stop coming. Vegas reinvented itself, a couple of times, from the failed attempt to become "family oriented," to a destination resort and convention town. There's a lot more to do in Vegas than gambling, despite there is no beach.

Now, it's my understanding from reading reports, that AC is under the same pressure LV was under when AC opened. The racinos in PA are taking away a lot of the slot customers from AC. I believe I read revenues in AC are down. Instead of trying to close in on Vegas, AC is going to have to do something to keep its customer base, as LV did when AC opened.

Now, if you want to talk about someplace closing in on Vegas, we could mention Macau. It's going to exceed LV in terms of gambling revenue--it's close and some say ahead while others say it's an accounting thing--but that's only for the gaming revenue. When it comes to tourism and business travelers, LV has no peer. It's not even close.

What other city in the world has 151,000 hotel rooms at 95% occupancy rates and another 50,000 online to open?

I've never been to AC, so I'm not commenting or comparing about quality. I have, however, seen what many who come to LV haven't seen. That would be the huge numbers of people who don't set foot in the casinos.

When AC has 40 million go through it's airport or bus terminals a year, then we'll talk. Not everyone is like us, man. Few come here for the reasons we are here. Poker is a tiny, unimaginably small part of what makes these places go.

[Eponymous]

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Now, it's my understanding from reading reports, that AC is under the same pressure LV was under when AC opened. The racinos in PA are taking away a lot of the slot customers from AC. I believe I read revenues in AC are down. Instead of trying to close in on Vegas, AC is going to have to do something to keep its customer base, as LV did when AC opened.


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This is true, but the good thing is that its forcing AC from being complacent with its usual customers taking the bus for the day with their roll of quarters. They are now looking to attract a more upscale crowd, and the Borgata has shown how successful that approach can be in AC. Many other casino/hotels are upgrading to catch up, and new competition is on the way. They realized that they can succeed by trying to be more like Vegas, and that's good for all of us. I really think that in 5 years, we'll be marveling at the transformation. The money will spill into the areas surrounding the casinos as well, as the shopping area near Caesars has already done.

[Obfuscation]

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Now, it's my understanding from reading reports, that AC is under the same pressure LV was under when AC opened. The racinos in PA are taking away a lot of the slot customers from AC. I believe I read revenues in AC are down. Instead of trying to close in on Vegas, AC is going to have to do something to keep its customer base, as LV did when AC opened.


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This is true, but the good thing is that its forcing AC from being complacent with its usual customers taking the bus for the day with their roll of quarters. They are now looking to attract a more upscale crowd, and the Borgata has shown how successful that approach can be in AC. Many other casino/hotels are upgrading to catch up, and new competition is on the way. They realized that they can succeed by trying to be more like Vegas, and that's good for all of us. I really think that in 5 years, we'll be marveling at the transformation. The money will spill into the areas surrounding the casinos as well, as the shopping area near Caesars has already done.

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Agreed.

Hell, I already marvel at the changes in AC from 15 years ago. To the people who are saying AC is a decrepit hole, man you should have seen that place 15 years ago. It's like night and day.

[TenEightClubs]

I visit atlantic city atleast once a month, it's coming around but is far from vegas and I've never been to vegas. But it could be as good as vegas in the next 10 years if they get more people to turn a.c. around. The night life sucks outside of the 40/40 club and Mur Mur.. Someone needs to come in and build a few more nice casinos or tear some of the older crappy casinos down. But they also have some nice outlets type stores open/opening very soon..

[bigbrett]

One serious thing that separates AC and Vegas is that you can get a decent room last minute in Vegas for around $100-150 on the strip on weekends.

Unless you're comped, you're looking at $400+ in AC on the summer weekends. It looks like the place is more crowded than ever, but I'd have to imagine that a few hotels that offered moderate rates could do very well and would help grow the area--supporting more decent restaurants on the boardwalk, etc.

When I'm travelling with my wife, AC is getting pretty close to Vegas as far as overall experience. Two things that Vegas has for the wife: amazing spas and much better show options. The beach is a big plus over Vegas. Bus vs. plane is also a big bonus for us east coasters

[Clarkmeister]

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I've never been to vegas. But it could be as good as vegas in the next 10 years if they get more people to turn a.c. around.

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Yes, it's obvious you've never been to Vegas. AC, with all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't equal Vegas in 10 years. 25 maybe.