Atlantic City Continues To Emphasize Its Non-Gambling Future [POLL]

The new face of Atlantic City will transform the town's gambling halls into multi-faceted destinations, and that change is already underway.

The Claridge and Wild Wild West have ceased or reduced gaming operations to undergo a change to retail and restaurants and entertainment. Even the huge new Revel opening this year will place a much greater emphasis on non-gaming attractions. Roger Gros of, "Global Gaming Business" magazine says Atlantic City is becoming a destination where you do not need a large casino, because the market for gambling is so segmented now in the northeast, it is a lot more than gambling.

Gros says gambling in Atlantic City will never be non-important. But he says the non-gaming side will become more important over time. Gros says we are seeing that with the changes at the Claridge and The Wild Wild West. These two properties are really part of Bally's and not in danger of closing, but Bally's is trying to bring more to the table than just gaming, according to Gros.

He says the new message is, "come to Atlantic City, go shopping, see a show, eat some great food...and by the way we also have gaming". So Atlantic City is striving to reposition itself as a regional destination resort, rather than a regional gaming destination resort. He says Atlantic City will have more to offer that its competitors...things they cannot offer...the Pennsylvania slot parlors, the casinos in Delaware They are strictly gaming. But everyone will come to Atlantic City for things other than gaming in the future and not just for gaming.