Posted on 06/29/2014 12:51:21 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
For years, economists and analysts talked in theoretical terms about "casino saturation" in the northeastern United States. But there's nothing theoretical about what's happening in Atlantic City now.
The Atlantic Club is dead, taken down by two rivals. Revel says it will close if a buyer can't be found, and Caesars Entertainment, which says there are too many casinos in New Jersey, plans to shutter one of its four, the Showboat, on Aug. 31.
Mayor Don Guardian, who could see a quarter of his city's casinos close during his first year in office, said Atlantic City is in the midst of a difficult but necessary makeover from being a gambling resort to a multi-faceted destination where betting is only part of the allure.
Since 2006, Atlantic City's casino revenue has plunged from a high of $5.2 billion to $2.86 billion last year. It has been beset by competition from Pennsylvania, which has surpassed it as the nation's No. 2 casino market after Nevada, and suffered further losses with additional casinos coming online in New York and Maryland.
(Excerpt) Read more at niagara-gazette.com ...
The library at the museum is nice too...a nice place to pick up the language of the Pequots.
I believe the number is 3, not 4.
I need to go back there, the last time I was there I had the clam chowder at Cedars. It was the BEST I’d ever had, and I’m wild for the stuff.
It was perfect, a paragon, the UR clam chowder of which all others are an imitation through a glass darkly.
And I was trying to think why I’d never had it before, and I think it was because I was always beguiled by the Lobster Bisque. Lovely, and served with a lovely shot of sherry, yum!
But you know, I was missing out!
Cannot wait to go back - ASAP!
Atlantic City is the other end of the spectrum. I've made several trips there over the past 20 years and it's always a bit depressing. Go just a block from the strip and you are in a poverty-stricken area of urban blight. The famous boardwalk is only nice three months out of the year. The other nine months it's windy, bleak and cold. The casinos themselves are nothing special, poor cousins of their glittering Las Vegas counterparts.
Forget about the one-off casinos sprinkled throughout the country. Tight slots, different rules for Blackjack that favor the house (Blackjack pays 6 to 5 - are you kidding me?). Lousy food. Busloads of old people flocking to the bingo hall or penny slots. Never had a great experience in any of them - even Foxwoods.
Las Vegas is one of a kind and nobody else comes close. Like I said, a true adult Disneyland. (Don't ever bring your kids there though.)
“Its been a dump for what? 40 years?”
MORE!
forty years? The casinos have only been around for less than forty years, The reason that the casinos were voted in was that the people were persuaded that Casinos would save Atlantic City from the state of decay that it had fallen into. Decay and fire were the two trademarks. In Atlantic City there were five seasons, the fifth was fire season, when an untold number of decree buildings would burn down and insurance money collected,
Thanks for that tip, if I’m ever in the neighborhood I’ll check it out. I feel sure that is is scrumptious!
You’re quite welcome!
When even casinos are closing down, you KNOW the economy sucks.
I did see the diving horse, twice!
Went to Atlantic City for a trade show in the 80’s... it struck me as low rent at the time. Compared to Vegas in the 90’s, it was Motel 6.
I remember being in Atlantic City before gambling was voted in ... sorry state of affairs. No different today. Gambling might have given them a brief period of relative prosperity but it sure hasn’t lasted.
Gambling was never good for the residents of Atlantic City, not the Blacks, anyway. The poor Blacks thought that it would bring jobs, and maybe it did, as hotel maids, kitchen workers, cab drivers and other low level employment. What it mostly brought though, was prostitution and drugs. All the gains that the Black community had made were lost when the young people saw what they thought was easy money and high living.
Sadly, falling into the drug culture is not unique to young blacks in Atlantic CIty. It’s interesting that there are some beautiful spots along the Jersey Shore, but AC is not one of them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.