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Pennsylvania and Online Slots Bring Jersey Down

The online slots world has taken over, and many land-based gambling venues, such as Atlantic City, are feeling the consequences. However, AC has something else to deal with aside from online slots. The gambling entertainment hotspot of the north east is soon getting a rival, Pennsylvania. The neighbor state is soon getting their own slots machines, which will take a substantial amount of customers away from the southern tip of New Jersey. How to deal with Pennsylvania slots coming on line?

That`s the key question state regulators and casino executives will grapple with tomorrow during an industry conference in Atlantic City. Wall Street gambling analysts, who will make up a panel at the event, the East Coast Gaming Congress, have estimated that Atlantic City could lose 5 to 8 percent in annual slots revenue once all 14 slots parlors are up and running in Pennsylvania under legislation that passed in 2004. It seems that people from the north east are likely to find their entertainment in Pennsylvania, instead of driving all the way to Jersey.

The losses for New Jersey will be up to $30 million a year potentially. "The legalization or presence of gaming in one state invariably leads to calls for a response in neighboring states," said Joseph Weinert, managing editor of the Gaming Industry Observer newsletter, which tracks the Atlantic City market. Unlike the online slots, slots in Pennsylvania cause a major threat because they are land-based, and people are still seeking land-based casino entertainment. The response in Atlantic City has been to expand the market to include nongamblers, with such attractions as the Quarter, a retail, dining and entertainment complex at the Tropicana casino, and the similar Pier at Caesars.