Atlantic City casinos closing...

Did Sandy ravage AC? Did the hotel and casino owners get compensation for their bankrupt businesses? I understand N.J. has experienced corruption and cronyism at times.

Sorry to disappoint those who feel it's another chance to blame the economy, but my fellow Fluffian, Bifwynne nailed it.

Up until several years ago, AC served as the only place to gamble. Aside from internet gambling, we now have access to more than a dozen new casinos outside of Atlantic City. Everyone knew the impact would hit the shore, with casualties coming out of it.

I grew up playing cards and I played in lots of AC casinos mainly at poker tables. Once I lost the job, I had to jump on to the taxi and one day found a passenger all the way to AC from NYC. When I dropped passenger and invested part of fare onto the large (near 1500 players) tournament at Borgata poker room and stayed there till the break to the next day with descent stack to move further. Than end of next day I reached the final table, took home large prise and dropped taxi to the garage and never returned back behind the wheel. All I did is to claim unemployment check and make my necessary living conservatively mainly at limit tables, but sometimes would allocate liquid funds towards tournaments periodically.
New Parx poker palace and casino is super as well and it obviously took part of Pennsilvanians, Philly residents there instead so AC with it's large casino arsenal has lost quite a chunk of players going now to Parx at shorter distance.

"My guess is that the great resort city was superseded and rendered obsolete by the introduction of affordable air travel. No doubt New Jersey's notorious family enterprises managed to get gambling legalized so they could take advantage of cheap property values and a central location, between NYC and Philly, to create an East Coast Las Vegas. Apparently it worked for a time, until gambling spread everywhere and once again rendered Atlantic City obsolete. Maybe it will be revived again with legal prostitution or marijuana. Maybe they'll just have to settle for the Chris Christie Archives and Museum. Or a New Jersey Politicians Hall of Fame named for Hugh Addonizio."

It was a good idea, but they just put it in a very bad place. The city of AC was, and still is, as disaster. You have the hotels and the boardwalk, but that's it. Its not like Vegas where you can walk around and do stuff besides gambling. People are afraid to walk around in AC.

As a kid our family took our vacations in Ocean City just South of AC. It was a very nice place. It has been well over 40 years since our last family gathering there. Last time I was in AC was within a few years after Resorts, Harrahs, Playboy Club and the Golden Nugget were the name gamers, over 30 years ago. What was so striking was the boardwalk area and the rest of the city which was squalid and seedy much like I always remembered that place. It seems that greed always overtakes hope in the long run but then again hope was short lived after reality set in for those that live or lived in AC during those times and now.

I visited Atlantic City just once circa 1971. It was only about a 2 hour drive for me and I was just wandering. My recollection today is of disappointment at how played out and worn down the whole place seemed. I assumed that I was seeing the skeletal remnant of a former beauty. It was like a town bypassed by the new interstate and left to wither. Or today's metaphor of an American downtown depleted and destroyed by the arrival of WalMart.

My guess is that the great resort city was superseded and rendered obsolete by the introduction of affordable air travel. No doubt New Jersey's notorious family enterprises managed to get gambling legalized so they could take advantage of cheap property values and a central location, between NYC and Philly, to create an East Coast Las Vegas. Apparently it worked for a time, until gambling spread everywhere and once again rendered Atlantic City obsolete. Maybe it will be revived again with legal prostitution or marijuana. Maybe they'll just have to settle for the Chris Christie Archives and Museum. Or a New Jersey Politicians Hall of Fame named for Hugh Addonizio.

"07-17-14: Goldeneraguy
I am an Atlantic City High School Alum.Pre the Gambling Era.
By 1960 A/C no longer had anything to offer.
It has even less now"

Not true at all. In AC they can serve alcohol until 6am. Its 2am for the rest of NJ and PA.

I am an Atlantic City High School Alum.Pre the Gambling Era.
By 1960 A/C no longer had anything to offer.
It has even less now

For once I agree with EBM. Let's fund the Donald out of his jam!

Philly boy. Graduated from Northeast H.S. in 1970. AC was just a suburb for me and my buddies.

Bifwynne - I grew up in Pompton Lakes. Graduated from HS there in 1965. How about you?

Ebm...on a roll.......

Sell your system then gamble the money at AC its good for business!!

Bifwynne, great analysis. I grew up in northern NJ and couldn't agree more.

My bad. It must be my Irish, English, Swedish and French heritage at work: not remembering the correct phrase, editing the phrase, thinking twice about it and then not giving a damn.

Old Irish highwaymen were kind of brutish but could be charming, depending on the level of inebriation.

All the best,
Nonoise

"Now that working for a living doesn't cut it anymore the sure way to realize the American dream was buying that lotto ticket, going to the nearest casino, or driving slowly by that all night 7/11 wondering if you have it in you for that quick smash and grab."

You smash and grab jewelry stores, not 7/11's. 7/11's get knocked over. Didn't your family teach you anything growing up?

it was once an older crowd pleaser who played the slots and any real gambling was left to high rollers. They the older would come in with their walkers and hit the slots/buffets and listen to some Barry Manilow or when he was alive Jerry Vale. That generation is long gone. Trying to pry the young ones away from their phone screens is no easy task. Madison Ave has no easy task trying to come with an advertising campaign to lore them in.

"Who on earth wants to drive 45 minutes to gamble? I just don't get it at all. "

What I mean by this is who wants to drive to a single casino in the middle,or nowhere. The beauty of places like Vegas and AC is that you can casino hop and the area offers many other attractions (Vegas).

They keep proposing more casinos in Upstate NY where I live and most people don't want them. If they build them there will be a bunch of partially filled dumpy casinos around. I don't gamble but I've been to Vegas and AC and part of the fun was packing your bags and going out of town. Who on earth wants to drive 45 minutes to gamble? I just don't get it at all.

Who would have thought casinos would go belly up? Now that working for a living doesn't cut it anymore the sure way to realize the American dream was buying that lotto ticket, going to the nearest casino, or driving slowly by that all night 7/11 wondering if you have it in you for that quick smash and grab.

All the best,
Nonoise

Axjake makes a great point. Still, it's a shame you had to part with your AP Virgos. I hope you enjoy your new system.

Its because of other states nearby also adapting gambling as a source of income. Atlantic City has competition. Sorry to hear things are not going well there.

I saw a news report last week that said either Bergen or Hudson County want put forth a ballot referendum for a few casinos across the river from NYC. If that passes AC will take another very serious hit. With Indian reservation casinos, the casinos in PA, and the racetrack casinos in NY it was only a matter of time before AC couldn't compete. AC had a an almost 20 year Monopoly and blew it!
As noted AC proper is still a mess and will never change.

Here is an interesting story about the Grand Opening of a grocery store. Apparently they are hard to keep open.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/atlantic-city_pleasantville_brigantine/atlantic-city-finally-gets-a-new-grocery-store-as-save/article_c46cd4d2-9fc7-11e1-a6b8-0019bb2963f4.html

The Fat Cat Casino Barron's were supposed to use a portion of the profits for AC's revitalization, but it looks like all they did was take the money and run!

Long Beach Island (I grew up there) is a great family orientated beach resort about 30 mins north of AC, GSP Exit 63. Plenty to do or nothing at all.

With unemployment at 14% for most college age millennials and their dept out of control. The last venue many of them need is the hotel casino.

I don't think the problem is gambling....Atlantic City is just a dump. City fathers thought that the casinos would make A/C another Vegas, but no one upgraded anything outside the casino's doors. Step off the boardwalk and you take your life in your hands.

Is it gambling gon!!!!!!

Dreadhead,
Nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed by!
You actually have had the opportunity to learn something quite valuable that a lot of so called "audiophiles" have learned the hard way:-)
In your case your sale of uber gear got you funds to put away AND sharpen your senses musically ending in a perfectly satisfying audio system that works for you!!
As we age some of us learn that indeed, less is more
Enjoy your system
Azjake

Audiophiles don't visit casinos to gamble. They go to high end audio stores.

As a native Philadelphian, the Jersey shore is like a suburb to me and many other fellow Philadelphians. Spent many a summer in AC when I was a kid.

I'm sure that general economic conditions and perhaps social mores may have much to do with AC's woes. But another factor is competition. I don't gamble ... never had. Just never interested.

Back to the competition point, gambling is becoming widely legalized. I think there may be a casino on the Philly Delaware River waterfront. So ... why schlepp to AC if you can lose a bundle right here in Philly??

AC has struggled for many years. It used to be a place of choice for family vacations. At the turn of the last century, it was THE place to go. Started to get seedy in the 60s and 70s. But with air fare becoming more affordable and many places around the world to vacation, AC just become obsolete like the buggy whip.

Gambling provided temporary relief, starting with Resorts International, back in the 70s or 80s. But even Resorts is gone. Wow ... showing my age again.

Would be kinda nice if AC could recapture its old charm and be a go-to place for families again. Ventnor and Margate are still pretty nice. Cape May is pretty cool. Lots of Victorian home and B&Bs.

Sorry to reminisce. The years are going by at an accelerating rate.