Unless you have been sleeping under a rock, it comes as no surprise that Atlantic City is really slowing down in terms of profit and customer growth. The slot parlors of Pennsylvania are taking many of the day-trippers away from the Boardwalk and the partial smoking bans are causing many table game players to take breaks from the games to go outside or into smoking areas to fill their lungs with nicotine.

The "smoking breaks" have hurt the revenue at the tables because table players don’t play based on number of decisions but on amounts of time. A daily four-hour player isn’t going to say to himself, "Gee, I missed twenty minutes because I was smoking and therefore I need to give the casino extra time." He just plays his four hours – and the casino makes less money.

The first quarter figures show a precipitous decline in most of the casinos.

Gross operating revenues fell 5.8 percent – a massive turn in the wrong direction. The 11 AC casinos had gross operating profit of $297.4 million – a decline of 18.2 million from the year before.

The casino that took the biggest hit was the Hilton with a 29.1 percent drop. If the Hilton keeps this up, it might just be the next casino to say sayonara to the Boardwalk, joining the Sands as the rubble of the near future.

Here are the other losing casinos:

Showboat – down 18.6 percent

Trump Marina – down 17.2 percent

Bally’s AC – down 13.6 percent

Harrah’s AC – down 10.4 percent

Borgata – down 6.5 percent

Trump Plaza – down 5.3 percent

The casinos that improved:

Resorts – up 26.6 percent

Caesars – up 16.9 percent

Tropicana – up 11.5 percent

Trump Taj Mahal – up 9.1 percent

Don’t expect these "uppers" to stay there, either, as casinos seem to be making idiotic decisions concerning their table games. For example, Trump Taj Mahal has just changed its casino floor and added the worst craps tables we have seen in AC to date. The railings are so high that anyone under 5’10" will find it difficult to get over them to shoot the dice and place their bets. The synthetic fabric layout is so bouncy that the game is continually halted to retrieve the dice. I can imagine the box people of the casino dreaming these words, "Same dice! Same dice! Same dice!"

We fully expect these "innovations" to hurt the bottom line in fewer decisions and fewer players, as they seek craps tables that are more traditional. Even the though the Taj is a magnificent place, gamblers come for the games, and if they don’t feel right at these games then they will go elsewhere.

Of course, the downward trend for the casinos is great for the players – the sharp players, that is. More comps are being given as the casinos attempt to attract the dwindling populations. That is more for the lower rollers in a venue that has disdained them for over a decade.

Still it’s the games that count.

Pennsylvania and Delaware and NY State now have slot parlors or racetracks with so-called VLTs. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun continue to draw huge crowds. Recently, the local Atlantic City, City Council, in their hubris and arrogance, took it upon themselves to severely restrict casino smoking.

Atlantic City must really be drawing smaller crowds and feeling the pressure of competition, I receive promotions in the mail everyday. Plus they are now offering me free rooms on the WEEKEND during the SUMMER SEASON, and these were hard to come by in the past.

The post cards I get offer me things such as tot bags, small appliances, coolers etc. I have plenty of junk; I do not need more, so I never avail myself to any of these types of offers.

Anyway, I do not see how these offers bring anyone other than the coupon clipping bus people into the casino. Nothing against coupon clipping bus people, (you have to say that now) God love them, but I believe the AC casino executives are on the wrong track.
These offers are not attracting the discriminating player - the person who enjoys gaming as a hobby; the person who took the time to learn a little about how the games work; the person who has discretionary income that is earmarked for entertainment.

The person who fits my profile does not want that junk. That is for the "Come in and get a free pull of the giant slot machine" crowd. That is the thinking of the past. The new marketing paradigm should be giving the players what they want, and that is A GOOD GAME.

What is a good game? For starters let me suggest the following:

BLACKJACK give us 3-2 BJ with the dealer standing on soft 17. Use 4-6 decks, hand shuffled. Want to have a promotion? Keep the free can opener. How about offering BJ "Surrender" one day a week? Vary the day. Do not advertise which day it will be in advance. Just advertise the policy. Let the player know that surrender, may be available in your casino as he drives down the Atlantic City Expressway. Most people will not even properly utilize the surrender option, but they will know that they should play where it is offered rather than where it is not. It is like the old story of the guy that moves from NYC to Arizona. A buddy calls him and asked how he likes his new home. He says he misses Broadway shows. His buddy says, "I never knew you went to Broadway shows." He responds "I didn't but it was nice to know it was there if I wanted to go."

CRAPS: Give us 10x odds. Let us buy the 4 and 10 without a vig on a loss. Believe me the hold will be up AND the players will be happy. [This was written before Scan saw the abominable Taj Mahal craps tables.]

ROULETTE: How about single zero wheels? It cuts the vig in half, yet the house still has a nice edge.

CARNIVAL GAMES: Did anyone ever notice every PAI GOW POKER game is always 100 percent filled? Put in more tables! Sure, it is a slow game, but the casino executive that understands that making a player happy is making him feel he is getting VALUE for his gambling dollar. Everyone wants VALUE in all aspects of their life.

TABLE MINIMUMS should be realistic for the novice player or the infrequent visitor. I have seen friends (occasional players) go to AC for their once a year trip, with a certain amount of money and not gamble at all because the minimums were too high. If the tables would have been reasonable the casino would have had a pretty good shot at the person's bankroll. But the unnecessarily high minimums bet, gave them a "scared money" complex, and they chose not to play.

One of the advantages AC has over other jurisdictions are the TABLE GAMES. Slots are ubiquitous. If AC is going to prosper and grow, it better embrace the table game player. The casino will still make plenty of money with the above changes, only it will make it a little bit slower. The players will not feel cheated. They will feel they got a fair shake. The big thing is they will come back. Not only that, they will tell family and friends about the casino that gives the player a fair shot. They and his friends will fill the bars, restaurants, and shopping areas.

Casinos can hire all the "bean counters" in the world and do study after study, but I know empirically that unless the casino execs get their acts together and think long term AC will slip and slid into a third rate destination.

If you do not believe me, take a look at what the greed of the tax hungry politicians and inept racing executives did to the pari-mutuel horse racing industry. Between taxes and the huge vig on the races, they removed the allure to new race fans. Sure there are still a handful of wizened racing aficionados around. But you are hard pressed to find anyone in the younger generations, interested in horse racing.

My computer crashed last week and about a dozen letters to me have vanished into the ether. Sorry about that. The only letter I received on my new computer are these:

Dear Frank and AP:

I was in AC yesterday and just wanted to let you know some conditions.

Resorts - outside the high roller pit, there were only two 6-deck shoes.  Both had poor pen (2 decks cut off.)  In the high roller pit, the same 2-deck cutoff.

Taj - There were no 6 deck games outside the high roller pit (min $100).

Thanks for your efforts!

Barry K.

To Frank and Alene Scoblete:

I just returned from a trip to Atlantic City and would like to let you know some of your information is incorrect!

Showboat Casino now has the worst games in AC. They hit on soft 17 and cut out at least 2 decks per shoe. Casino has more carnival games and they are adding more! Rooms are nice, workers are pleasant.This used to be the best but I will not play there again.

Trump Taj was a good place to play B.J good penetration, dealers pleasant $15-25 tables open.

Trump Marina had great penetration, cards are shuffled by a machine; they are generous on comps, not a bad place to play!

Tropicana first time playing here generous on comps, good penetration plenty of B.J games. The Quarter is a nice place. Buffet was good. Keep up the good work! Bubba From Boston

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All the ratings of casinos are based on the blackjack games.

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Here are our ratings for June 2007.

BALLY’S PARK PLACE: Bad reports coming from here. Rumor is that Harrah’s is looking to dump this three-casino property. No mid-shoe entry in high roller room and on a few of the main $50 tables in casino, otherwise you can usually Wong here if you wish. Mixed reviews about how deep the penetration is but we found it in the 75 percent area. All 8-deck games except for the high roller room action. For craps players, this is a good casino for the game. There is one 5X odds table, usually a $25 minimum; the rest are 2X odds. Crews are friendly. Tables are somewhat high so short shooters get your platform shoes. There are many more carnival games than ever before. Looks like Three-Card Poker rivals blackjack! Two and one-half stars: * * ½*

BORGATA: Still number one for blackjack in AC. Always at least two $5 tables available and there are seats as well! Hotel rating is an A. Penetration is pretty good right now. Casino is all six-deck games, which is great – for AC, that is. Penetration on games varies between 80 and 85 percent so you can get some good games here. Craps has long tables, 14-footers, and very bouncy, although there is talk of two smaller tables - somewhere. This is a happening place and caters to a young crowd. Great casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Four stars: * * * *

CAESARS: This place is making the bucks and The Pier is a pleasure to walk through – a must see attraction in AC. Excellent restaurants but you have long walks to find them. Cheerful place and worthy of the name it bears. Hotel/casino rating is A. They are going deeper. You can expect about 80 percent penetration with most of the dealers. The main floor of eight-deckers has some of the upper-limit tables ($25 and $50) with no mid-shoe entry. All the games in the high roller pit are also no mid-shoe entry with $100 minimums. Table game action has improved and that is very noticeable in the blackjack pits – which are all 8-deck games. Six-deck games in high roller room have 80 percent penetration, as do the eight-deckers on the main casino floor. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. The craps games here are good with 12-foot tables and friendly crews. The tables are a little high so smaller controlled shooters should wear their "special shoes." Three stars: * * *

CLARIDGE: Sad place to visit. One star: *

HARRAH’S: Harrah’s Atlantic City properties are excellent. Hotel/casino rating is A. In the casino you will find very friendly dealers and pit personnel. Penetration now ranges in the 75 percent area. Resplitting allowed except aces. No midshoe entry. High roller room is 6-deck action, the rest of the casino is 8-decks. Play here and at Showboat and your play counts all across the nation. For those of you who like to go to Vegas you can get some good comps from your AC action in the desert! A room that would be discounted for $80 in AC would be free in Vegas based on the same play – this is not official but based on our calculations of the offers we’ve received. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Friendly crews and decent tables at craps. We haven’t played there but reports are good. But we must warn you, this is a big slot place too. However, Harrah’s properties in Las Vegas are getting very bad reports about how some of the boxmen treat customers who practice a careful shot. Three Stars: * * *

HILTON: Wow! This place is hemorrhaging money and has the title as the worst place for comps in AC. How can that be? Don’t they want customers? Those 6 to 5 blackjack games are now here as well. The blackjack games here are getting good reports from some of our correspondents but you must pick the game based on the dealer because the penetration is dealer dependent. Resplitting allowed except aces. High roller room is 6-decks, rest of the casino is 8-decks with a few $25/$50 6-deckers on occasion. No mid-shoe entry on the six-deckers. High table minimums, especially on weekends, a lot of $25 tables, rare $10 tables. Penetration about 75 percent, sometimes up to 80 percent. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. For craps, we are dealing with 14-foot tables and a couple of 12 footers. Three Stars: * * *

RESORTS: This place is starting to challenge the other casinos. Resplitting is allowed at all tables but penetration barely makes it to 75 percent now. Casino also offers multiple-action blackjack and Spanish 21 at $10 minimums. Avoid the single-deckers that pay 6 to 5 for blackjacks. Excellent place for craps. Mostly small tables, with some games 5X odds. Two Stars: * *

SHOWBOAT: See letter above... blackjack games on a downward slide. Two Stars: * *

TROPICANA: Hotel/casino rating is A. Blackjack games are now decent and so is the new "Quarter" shopping area. Those main-floor six-deck games are now gone. High roller room is 6-decks with no mid-shoe entry. Penetration is about 75 percent on all games. Big improvement here in all areas of play. Craps tables are 12-footers. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Three stars: * * *

TRUMP MARINA: No change from last issue. Six-deck games in high roller room and 8-deck games on the main floor have penetration of 70-75 percent mark, but you won’t find any dealers going much deeper. Games are mostly $15/$25 and up, especially on weekends. No mid-shoe entry on the 6-deckers but you can jump in and out on the eight-deckers. Craps tables are 12-footers with 2X odds. Haven’t played here in years. Two Stars: * *

TRUMP PLAZA: Some of our Golden Touch craps players love this place. The eight-deck games have penetration at 80 percent, depending on the dealer. No midshoe entry on eight-deck games outside high-roller pit but you can find $25 (a few) to $50 minimums on these. Allows resplits, except aces. Most eight-deck tables are $10 and higher. High roller room is six-deck games. Craps tables are 12-footers. Very friendly crews. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Three stars: * * *

TRUMP TAJ MAHAL: We were there in Mid-May and the 6-deck games outside the high roller room were back at $25 minimums, but the latest report (see above) plus others we’ve received say they are now gone again. Lucky Ladies bet now available, no thanks. Good game with 75-80 percent penetration, dealer dependent, throughout the casino. In the high roller room all games have $100 minimums. Excellent casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Now the worst casino to play craps in all of Atlantic City. Three and a half stars: * * * ½ *

WILD, WILD WEST: No change from last issue. All 8-deck games with about eight tables now offering H17 games. This is a part of Bally’s Park Place. Penetration is about 75 percent on all games. For craps this is a fun place to play with one 5X odds table and one 2X odds table. I remember when this place had many more tables. Crews are very friendly. Two Stars: * *