Helping Atlantic City

I just don’t know how I feel about recent announcements that the state will help struggling Atlantic City with a bailout while at the same time relaxing some regulations on casinos….two different stories but pretty much for the same reason.
The city itself is dealing with a major deficit and basically has reached an agreement with Governor Christie which would give the state more control over their future through the creation of a tourism district. As for the casinos they are seeking the relaxation of rules and regulations which they in turn insist would save New Jersey money which could be used to help bolster the marketing efforts of the struggling industry.

We are far too linked to Atlantic City to just let it die but at the same time it’s also hard to feel empathy for an industry that is built on sucking people dry and loving every moment of it. When times were good the “little guy” never really had a shot in AC. There were no $5 tables in which you could have a fun with a few bucks and it if you went at night during the peak seasons you would likely find minimums that were not for the average person. It might take you several hours to earn $100 but in Atlantic City that could easily disappear in a matter of moments. I just never felt like the casinos cared about anything but taking your money as fast as they could.

Of course there has also been the attempt to market AC as a tourism location and to be honest there are nice hotels and things like beach bars which are indeed very desirable. But you’ll pay a pretty penny for everything from your room to a cocktail and deals were not easy to come by….especially when the economy was booming. While efforts were made to add shops like the outlets in town and The Pier Shops at Caesars the drawing card was always gambling. If you lived anywhere within a couple of hours, including New York and Philly and wanted to gamble then Atlantic City was the place.

However times changed as casinos started popping up all over the tri-state area, including Racinos at race tracks. New Jersey insisted that Atlantic City would be the only place you would find a slot machine or roulette table in this state and expected that to be good enough because AC was a tourism destination. What they found out is that gamblers are not loyal and will go where it’s convenient…..an ace and a picture card makes black jack anywhere. So now the city and casinos want help and I for one have little pity. They could start by giving the average guy a fair shake at a fair price.