January overall revenue at Atlantic City casinos declined 2.9 percent compared with a year ago, but the decline in slots revenue was even sharper at 7.2 percent due mostly to new competition from Pennsylvania slots parlors. Will AC casinos finally remember when casinos were about table games?
When the airlines got the gov't to outlaw smoking on airplanes, they lost 23% of their traffic overnight, sending the whole industry into deep financial doodoo, and it took nearly 10 years for traffic to rise back to pre-ban levels.
When Amtrack banned smoking, they had to shut down 23% of their service within 2 months.
I don't have the exact figures on hand, but Greyhound suffered a significant loss of traffic when the gov't forced a no-smoking ban.
I realize that Atlantic City's is not a total ban, but I suspect the impact will be more than just trivial.
Airlines have the bumpiest history of most any industry you can name and have been in deep financial doodoo for as long as I can remember. I think it has little to do with smoking. More fuel costs, labor costs, cut-throat competition, and terrorism scares. Amtrack has been near bankruptcy since it was formed. I've not heard anything about Greyhound and smoking and can't find anything with Google. I tend to doubt anti-smoking regs will seriously damage the casinos.
> When the airlines got the gov't to outlaw smoking on
> airplanes, they lost 23% of their traffic overnight,
> sending the whole industry into deep financial doodoo,
> and it took nearly 10 years for traffic to rise back
> to pre-ban levels.
> When Amtrack banned smoking, they had to shut down 23%
> of their service within 2 months.
> I don't have the exact figures on hand, but Greyhound
> suffered a significant loss of traffic when the gov't
> forced a no-smoking ban.
> I realize that Atlantic City's is not a total ban, but
> I suspect the impact will be more than just trivial.
Let's hope so. Maybe we'll see more six-deck shoes with 80% penetration. I think a revival of table games would be great for the casinos as well as players.
There are so few good blackjack games now, even craps is looking good. Anything to make the games better.
I greatly doubt that bans on smoking caused losses for airlines or Amtrak. How does one get from coast to coast or overseas in hours? The sinking of the Titannic did not cause Cunard Lines to lose passengers. In 1912, oceanliners were the only way to get overseas. The government has more responsibility for the health of passengers and employees than for the bottom line, even of its own company.
The public has less compulsion to use the casinos than to fly or take a train. There are alternatives to Atlantic City. The flip side is that Atlantic City is an alternative to other northeastern casino locations.
There are many more nonsmokers than smokers and nonsmokers have higher income than smokers. Making the casinos more friendly to them should help their bottom line.
The casinos have been given a license to run a business that separates people from their money by giving them illusions: (1) That they can win large amounts of money, (2) Of a glamorous lifestyle, (3) Of sex, etc. This is in return for raising tax revenues paid by those who play, instead of those who work--the state income tax--or those who shop--the state sales tax. Atlantic City's casinos fought against the partial smoking ban, with full knowledge of the effects of second-hand smoke in their employees. Diseased employees testified at the City Council hearings. The casino industry is an evil industry.
Let the casinos come up with some way to increase their profits. More low minimum tables would be a good start. It is common to see empty $50 and $25 tables and no $5 tables while people are waiting for someone to get up from a $10 or $15 table. Better rules would also be a good start, e.g. late surrender, 4 decks.
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