Smoking Continues, Gambling Revenue Decreases At AC Casinos

So much for the idea that smoking had to be permitted in Atlantic City casinos to keep gamblers coming back. Even after the City Council adhered to casino owners wishes, the eleven AC casinos saw a decrease of almost twenty percent last month in gambling revenue.

The city tried to impose a smoking ban on the casinos but backed off after casino owners plead their case that they could not survive without gamblers being allowed to smoke. It turns out, they may have to eventually look somewhere else for blame after revenue continues to drop.

"All of these casino owners cried when the city talked about a smoking ban. What they didn't realize is that with or without smoking, neighboring states were already taking their customers. The competition is becoming stronger and Atlantic City casinos are doing nothing to bring people back," said observer Howard Kiputsco.

Last month, table game revenue at the eleven casinos was down to $96 million. That was a twenty percent decrease. The casinos did not fare much better at the slot machines. Revenue dropped nineteen percent, to $214.3 million last month.

Last year, revenue declined the most in the history of Atlantic City gambling. The casinos posted a decrease of 7.6%. That followed a 5.7% decline in 2007. The figures for this year are expected to drop even further.

The city thought that the casino industry might have been on its way back to prominence a couple of years ago. Renovation projects along with new casinos would fuel the future of the industry in the city.

That vision never came to fruition thanks to the recession. Several developers pulled out of potential projects and the casinos that still exist began cutting back on their offerings.

March 11, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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