Casino news from http://www.nj.com/
MASHANTUCKET, Conn. -- Robert Smith intended to spend his summer vacation at Bally's in Atlantic City, playing the slots in the resort's casino and strolling on the boardwalk with his wife and mother-in-law.
Instead, the Sussex County construction worker spent yesterday afternoon playing the 2-cent slots at Foxwoods Resort and Ca sino, grateful he was able to get a last-minute reservation at the Connecticut hotel when New Jersey's government shutdown scuttled his original plans.
"I prefer Atlantic City. But what are you going to do?" said Smith, 52. "I had the time off, so I was going to spend it."
Smith and his family were among the thousands who packed Connecticut's casinos yesterday as Foxwoods and nearby Mohegan Sun saw a surge in business due to New Jersey's budget woes. With tour buses arriving from New York City and New Jersey all day, Connecticut casino executives couldn't help but be a little disappointed when they heard a budget compro mise might be in the works in Trenton.
Each day of New Jersey's budget crisis brought bigger crowds to Foxwoods and helped introduce the 15-year-old Indian reservation casino to a new audience, said Charles Reece, the resort's vice president of hotel operations.
"We're finding more and more of an increase not only here, but at the Mohegan Sun," said Reece. "We're already sold out today."
On Wednesday, the first day of the Atlantic City casino shutdown, calls to Foxwoods' reservations center were up nearly 8 percent, according to Reece. The casino added 15 additional buses and saw a nearly 10 percent increase in cars coming into the resort that usually averages 40,000 to 45,000 visitors a day.
By yesterday afternoon, the re sort's six casinos were noisy and bustling as gamblers filled the rows of slots, crowded around the table games and waited in lines to get into some restaurants. The front desk turned away visitors looking to stay overnight, saying all 1,400 hotel rooms were full.
There were still a few rooms available at nearby Mohegan Sun, but the casino also reported a spike in visitors, especially at the slot machines.
"It looks like we've experienced a double digit percentage increase in terms of slots revenue," said Saverio Mancini, Mohegan Sun's public relations manager. "It would appear it was because of the influx of Atlantic City visitors."
Connecticut casino executives expressed sympathy for their New Jersey counterparts, well aware their good luck came at the ex pense of Atlantic City's casinos and their 20,000 furloughed workers. New Jersey's 12 casinos generate $1.3 million in revenue for the state each day and countless millions more for Atlantic City businesses and restaurants.
Joe Yung, of River Edge, said he was all prepared to spend three days at Harrah's Showboat casino in Atlantic City this week. But he said he reluctantly switched his reservation to Foxwoods when it looked like Atlantic City would be forced to close its casinos.
As he prepared to drive home, Yung ate his dinner at an Asian restaurant overlooking the vast forest surrounding Foxwoods. He said he was happy he came out ahead at Foxwoods' poker and craps tables. But he had mixed feelings about spending his money in Connecticut instead of his home state.
"They are losing a lot of business," said Yung, 45. "New Jersey has made it difficult for a lot of people."
Veteran craps player Albert Cecchi, who has played in both Connecticut and Atlantic City, was philosophical about the winners and losers in New Jersey's budget battle. Just like gamblers, the Atlantic City casinos have to accept that some days the dice just don't roll your way, he said.
"It's the same anywhere," said Cecchi, 64, of Massachusetts. "If it's your day, it's your day. If it's not your day, it's not your day."
|
|
World Casino Directory 
Gambling Forums 
