Casino News

Casino business 'bad' in Atlantic City

2009-03-19 11:26:52

A worker in Atlantic City has illustrated just how bad the casino trade is in the city at the moment.

In an interview with Reuters, Joe Lochs, who makes his living pushing patrons around between casinos on a buggy, stated that he is having his worst year in more than two decades of operating in the gambling destination.

He pointed to competition from neighboring areas such as Pennsylvania and the global economic downturn as being two of the main causes for trade being so low.

"Before this year, I never had a day without a single ride," he remarked. "This year, I've had three of them."

Overall, his business is down by approximately 60 per cent on where it is usually.

Casino revenues in AC were in decline before the credit crunch began, but have gone into overdrive since.

Proposals to bring in a smoking ban in the city's 11 casinos have been met with fierce opposition by gaming operators who believe such a move could worsen the situation.