Atlantic City Customers Headed to Online Casinos?
July reports show Atlantic City casinos continuing the long slide of earnings, as the gambling city dropped 13 percent over the same month the previous year. As patrons continue to desert the New Jersey resorts, observers are wondering whether online casinos are becoming the new destination for Jersey players.
Atlantic City has faced a number of problems, many of which are associated with its physical situation. As casinos have cut staff and sacrificed jobs, customer service and hotel maintenance have become issues. The Tropicana lost its license over such claims, and the Trump Marina was recently cited in a lawsuit as deteriorating to the point that leaks are solved by placing potted plants under them.
Although smoking is again permitted for a short while longer, smoking patrons were irritated and confused by abrupt about-faces in smoking policy last winter, and many are unsure what the current rule is.
And neighboring states have introduced competition, leading players to think about gambling closer to home.
"What is closer to home, with the amenities and smoking rules a player chooses, than home?" asks Peter Redding, long-time Atlantic City gaming insider. "Once players are turned off by physical conditions, and then realize how much they can save in rooming and transportation costs, it's easy to see them flocking to online casinos."
Redding said that figures showing declines in states close to New Jersey indicate that the customer base has slipped off the grid, and possibly right online.
"We know online gambling pays at a better rate, allows strapped consumers to play low-cost games, and in every way favors consumers hit by the recession who see their dollar not getting much in return at aging Atlantic City properties," Redding stated. "Players wanting to enjoy gaming on a budget naturally would gravitate to online casinos."
