ACES Casino Train Service Cuts Back Trips From New York

The Atlantic City Express Service seemed like a good idea at the time for struggling Atlantic City casinos. The premise was simple, give New Yorkers a service that would bring them to, and from, Atlantic City.

After only ten months of operation, ACES will be reducing the number of trips that it takes every weekend from eighteen to eleven. What was supposed to be an aid in revenue growth, has instead turned into an operation that is costing the casinos money.

"The train, for us, is merely a way to get customers to our resorts," said Auggie Cipollini, Senior Vice President of Operations at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, "We knew going in the trains weren't going to be profitable."

What the group of casinos, which include the Borgata, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah's Atlantic City, did not foresee, was that the service would become a money drain. With increased competition, less people have wanted to travel to Atlantic City to do their gambling.

New York itself has expanded their casino offerings, giving residents an alternative to Atlantic City. The round trip cost of the service is now looked at as funds that could be spent in the slot machines in New York rather than a train ride to AC.

Pennsylvania and Connecticut have also made expansion efforts to their casino offerings. Pennsylvania, perhaps, doing the most, with table games written into the new budget by lawmakers in 2009.

December 5, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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