In the past, Atlantic City, NJ was known for its gambling venues and that alone brought in a great deal of revenue. Now, however, as more casinos are going up in various states, people are not visiting Atlantic City primarily to gamble anymore.
A recent study suggests that many of those who come to Atlantic City now are doing so more for the beaches and other amenities that they are for gambling. This is a huge change from when the city was known as the second-largest gambling destination, only Las Vegas. It can be said that in earlier days, visitors to Atlantic City did not care much for the beaches or other venues. They were in the city to gamble, and gamble is what they did.
The change began when neighboring states such as Maine, Delaware, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts began to authorize their own casinos. This began only a few years ago, but has already made a big impact on AC casinos. In fact, Pennsylvania has now surpassed New Jersey as being the second-largest gambling state.
The study was conducted over the phone and included some 700 respondents. More than 38 percent of those responding reported that vacations were their main reason for going to Atlantic City. The study reported that only about 27 percent said that gaming and gambling were the reasons for going to Atlantic City. It was also reported in the study that the number of people who are visiting AC now who have children less than 18 has doubled. Two years ago, the number came in at about 9 percent. Now, the number is at about 18 percent. This increase is suggested to be because of the increase of family-friendly venues that are now in AC that were not there in years past.
The current Atlantic City gaming officials are not going down without a fight however. They, along with many New Jersey lawmakers, are working on a variety of new ways that will bring gamblers back. They still believe that AC is a premier casino location and have high hopes that they can pull this off.
A few months ago, NJ passed some laws that allow Atlantic City casinos the right to expand and to operate online casinos as well as offer sports books on their AC resorts. It has been reported that the online casinos may be operational and running by the end of this year. The sports betting initiative will need to go through some hurdles at the Federal level before it can become a part of this revitalization idea.
With any luck, AC will be able to bring back at least some of its most loyal visitors. The casinos and resorts that are now occupying space there depend on this revenue for their very existence. The full impact that other states opening their own casinos will have on AC will not be felt for a few more years. One thing is certain as more states see the value of having their own in-state facilities, the number of new casinos is certainly going to increase.