By NJ Today Contributor Dick Sheeran
Atlantic City casinos had their best month in a long time.
The new Revel Resorts took in $20 million, its best take yet.
Around town, the city’s August performance was up 13 percent compared with August of 2011. Some places posted small declines, but overall, the news was good.
There are reasons. Last August, the threat of Hurricane Irene forced the closing of Atlantic City’s casinos costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Some might scoff a bit at the comparison between the two years.
But the most important thing the positive August figure does is help change the template about Atlantic City being a struggling casino town. Yes, it is in a tough battle with casinos everywhere, but August 2012 might give some writers second thoughts about throwing in the usual adjectives when describing Atlantic City like “sagging revenues,” “declining fortunes” and “fleeing gamblers.” For several years, it’s been gloom and doom, now August 2012 changes the picture a bit.
Big events in August obviously made a major difference in performance. The huge air show brought thousands of people to the city.
And Nik Walenda’s tightrope walk across the Boardwalk had the same effect. Perhaps Nik’s walk is a metaphor for Atlantic City’s challenge in the casino world.
Revel needed some good news and got it. The buzz about Revel lately has been concern. Its first months in action were underwhelming to say the least. It placed eighth in revenue among AC’s lineup of a dozen casinos. It still placed eighth in the latest report.
But Revel is the face of the “new” AC. From the start, it’s marketing has been that it is a luxury resort first and just happens to have a gambling operation.
It is seen as the future: to attract conventions and visitors who will stay two or three days not just do a couple of hours of gambling and head back home in their car or run for the bus.
Compared to other openings I have covered as a reporter, Revel’s debut was almost low key. The hoopla was somewhat subdued. Perhaps that was the plan.
Everybody agrees the place is spectacular from the globe high atop the tallest building in town to the decor inside.
And you gotta give some respect to a casino that does not have its name anywhere on the outside of it building. That, as they say, is chutzpah.
Revel has also been “making nice” with the market lately with a three-day fireworks display that locals and visitors enjoyed over the Labor Day weekend.
The news about Revel’s improvement at the slots and tables and of it increasing hotel room occupancy is welcome, but it’s clear that it and the rest of AC has a way to go in attracting more visitors … visitors with money to risk and spend.
The other big story in the August report was at the other end of the Boardwalk and the other end of Revel marketing strategy — the Atlantic Club. The old Hilton changed its name and its branding.
It is marketing itself as the lower rollers place, with lower stakes betting, discount prices and a pitch to locals.
So far, it seems to be paying off. The Atlantic Club revenue was up 25 percent from last August, the biggest jump in town.
August brought some relief to casino row. Now, the challenge in the next months is to keep some of that momentum going.
If only every month could be like August.
Dick Sheeran is a veteran television news reporter and former anchor of CBS3-TV, Philadelphia.