Operator News
Atlantic City casinos vow to work together to allow New Jersey to compete against New York City’s casinos
By Phil - 25 April 2024
Atlantic City’s casino operators have pledged to work together to ‘reinvent’ themselves in light of the new competition on the horizon from New York City’s three future casinos.
With predicted costs for some of the half a dozen proposals spiralling up to US$12bn, Atlantic City’s casinos are looking at how best to reposition themselves
Speaking at the East Coast Gaming Congress,hhosted the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Bally Corps.’ Chairman Soo Kim said: “If our industry does nothing, it’s not going to be a pretty picture. Fellow operators here are not our competitors. We’re all in the same business. The sports analogy would be we’re all teams in the same league, and at the end of the game you shake hands and maybe grab a beer.”
Jim Allen, CEO of Hard Rock International, added: “It’s time to put our differences aside. I don’t want to see any of our competitors close; I don’t want to see 2,000 or 3,000 jobs lost. It’s not healthy for this city.”
Resorts Atlantic City CEO Mark Giannantonio added: “We have a two-year window, which is an opportunity for us to put Atlantic City in the best light. Casinos can only do so much, by providing jobs. There has to be an improvement in capital infrastructure; let’s take care of our homeless population, they deserve to be taken care of, and make sure we have a reassuring police presence here. We need to reinvent ourselves as a real entertainment destination.”
