Atlantic City Casino Gambling Competition Just Keeps Growing

At the beginning of this economic recession in the US, Atlantic City casinos knew they were in for a treacherous path for the next few years. What they were not expecting was a major increase in competition during this period.

This past week, the news regarding possible competition became a lot worse for Atlantic City and their casino industry. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are both moving closer to expanding their gambling options, and it could cripple what is left from a once-proud industry.

Pennsylvania lawmakers on Friday finally agreed on a budget, but a major part of that budget was revenue that would be generated by adding table games at state casinos. Table games not only would help Pennsylvania financially, but it would put the state's casinos on equal ground with AC casinos in their offerings.

Massachusetts, meanwhile, held a summit on Monday to go over the potential dangers that come along with gambling expansion. These type of meetings do not occur unless a state is serious about legalizing casino gambling.

Pennsylvania has already cut into AC casino profits with their new casinos that have been opened in Pittsburgh. A Sugar House Casino is also in the works for Philadelphia. In fact, the entire Northeast has expanded their gaming options in the past couple of years.

Connecticut's tribal casinos never thought they could steam customers from Atlantic City, but when the city's casinos started to struggle, the Connecticut casinos saw their opportunity.

Earlier this year, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun teamed up for a billboard add along the New Jersey Turnpike encouraging gamblers to come North to do their casino gambling.

The future remains unclear for the Atlantic City casino industry. Donald Trump and Carl Icahn, two billionaires who have run successful casinos in AC are attempting to revive the city by acquiring casinos, but that may not be enough. The recession may go away, but the competition from neighboring states is here to stay.

September 23, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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