Remember when Atlantic City was Las Vegas East.
Now it appears the panacea of legalized gambling may have been a mirage.
And we’re to blame, at least in part.
By that I mean Pennsylvania, and the Keystone State’s suddenly voracious appetite for legalized gambling.
It started with slots, including a casino and racetrack on the Chester waterfront.
Most recently the Sands folsk opened a new casino in Allentown, and the new Parx facility welcomed gamblers at Philadelphia Park in Bucks County.
All of them siphoned off players – and their wallets – that used to be destined for Atlantic City.
There are new numbers out for Atlantic City casinos. They are not pretty. The 11 casinos there continue to struggle. And they are pointing a finger of blame inland – to competition in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
And it’s only going to get worse.
Casinos in both Pa. and Delaware are racing to get table games up and running by the summer. On Tuesday the state Gaming Control Board set a date for the crucial hearing that would allow Harrah’s to move forward on table games. It will take place in Chester City Hall on April 20.
In the meantime, Atlantic City continues to struggle.
Their loss is our gain. They can have the ocean. We’ll have to settle for the Delaware River. And an increasingly big chunk of the region’s gambling money.
Now it appears the panacea of legalized gambling may have been a mirage.
And we’re to blame, at least in part.
By that I mean Pennsylvania, and the Keystone State’s suddenly voracious appetite for legalized gambling.
It started with slots, including a casino and racetrack on the Chester waterfront.
Most recently the Sands folsk opened a new casino in Allentown, and the new Parx facility welcomed gamblers at Philadelphia Park in Bucks County.
All of them siphoned off players – and their wallets – that used to be destined for Atlantic City.
There are new numbers out for Atlantic City casinos. They are not pretty. The 11 casinos there continue to struggle. And they are pointing a finger of blame inland – to competition in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
And it’s only going to get worse.
Casinos in both Pa. and Delaware are racing to get table games up and running by the summer. On Tuesday the state Gaming Control Board set a date for the crucial hearing that would allow Harrah’s to move forward on table games. It will take place in Chester City Hall on April 20.
In the meantime, Atlantic City continues to struggle.
Their loss is our gain. They can have the ocean. We’ll have to settle for the Delaware River. And an increasingly big chunk of the region’s gambling money.
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