Always turned on!?!

No, I'm not making my personal life part of Casino [ptz]. Rather, this is the new slogan for Atlantic City, developed at considerable expense and unveiled with considerable ineptitude. From NJ.Com:

The catchphrase and an accompanying logo, unveiled Thursday, will be used by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority in sales pitches, on literature and in appeals to meeting planners.

Unable to afford TV and radio advertising, the authority -- which spent $110,000 developing the slogan -- hopes to get its word out with a public relations campaign, the authority's Web site and new signs along the Atlantic City Expressway.

Early reviews were favorable.

"It suits Atlantic City," said gambler Shirley Valdes, 33, of New York. "It's always lit up, 24 hours a day, just like some of the people you see here."

Author and historian Vicki Gold Levi called it ideal for Atlantic City, which had a name for gambling, bootlegging and colorful nightlife long before casinos rolled in 25 years ago.

"Atlantic City's always been a little naughty, a place to lose your inhibitions. And `Always Turned On' fits right in with it. It's what we are now, a fun, grown-up town."

FULL STORY

More details from the Inquirer:

The slogan comes with a high-energy theme song that urges people to "lose your inhibition," rhymes "nonstop excitement" with "romantic delightment," and includes a rap-like verse touting the city as "scintillating, titillating, undulating, percolating, syncopating, palpitating, fascinating."

But the song and promotional film - presented at a fancy lunch for 350 community members and casino and business owners yesterday - will not be seen or heard much over the next year because of limited funding.

There will be no commercials for now. The tourism agency is focusing instead on a $500,000 public-relations effort to spread the word. (Howie Mandel is also doing a related spot on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Vasser said.)

The slogan will appear on the Atlantic City Expressway, on city promotional materials, and on the authority's Web site. The song will be heard when people who call the authority are placed on hold, said spokeswoman Susan Ricciardi.

FULL STORY

Before discussing this, let me say that I desperately want Atlantic City to succeed. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm from there, and I think it has all of the raw materials to become one of the greatest resort cities in the world.

But something about these stories bugged me, and when I did a little investigating, it bugged me a lot.

First of all, as I said yesterday, when you buy cheap, you buy twice. Why bother creating a new slogan if you are not going to invest the money in promoting it properly. Somehow I don't think America is looking to Howie Mandel for its travel plans. Las Vegas got a great deal of notoriety from the "what happens here, stays here" commercials, and Atlantic City could do the same with its own commercials. But no, commercials are too expensive.

So that leaves the Internet open. Yes, the Internet has revolutionized communications and therefore marketing. Look at how the Howard Dean campaign has been able to reach a whole new audience and pool of donors through the Internet, for example. So an Internet-based campaign could work, and could actually be revolutionary.

But here the wheels fall off completely. Checking the ACCVA authority website--provided with the news stories, shows no mention of "Always turned on." Look for yourself at atlanticcitynj.com. (Also compare it with lasvegas24hours, which is functional, on message, and very impressive.)

We know that the Haunted Seaport is going down in Tuckerton on 10/25, but other than that, no updates. The last press release is from September and just crows about the great summer season.

It is simply inexcusable that the ACCVA could not coordinate the announcement of the new slogan and updating its website. There is about a 30 second window of opportunity for media attention, and the window is closing very quickly. No body is going to "check back soon" to look for site updates.

It makes me wonder why anyone should care, if the people who developed the slogan and are charged with promoting it obviously don't. It isn't that hard to make sure that your website has the official new slogan. It is nearly criminal that the ACCVA couldn't master this simple task, and I don't understand why no one else seems to care. It's as if apathy and incompetence are expected, which is a very gloomy omen for the future of Atlantic City.

Speaking of which, here is an excerpt from the AC Press, which underscores my pessimism:

The gaming industry’s poor September revenues foreshadow an ugly fourth quarter as casinos fight for business lost to the new Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Wall Street analysts are warning investors.

Analysts sounded the alarm less than 24 hours after the Casino Control Commission reported a 12 percent decline in September gambling revenue at the 11 casinos open a year earlier.

“Conditions remain weak, there is little real growth and competitive conditions are intensifying. Even more disturbing, we are beginning to see an increase in promotional spending,” John Kempf of Goldman Sachs said in a research note.

Borgata, which opened July 2, increased the city’s supply of slot machines by 9 percent, table games by 11 percent and casino hotel rooms by 16 percent. Although Borgata has quickly become the city’s second-highest-grossing casino (behind Bally’s), it has helped boost citywide casino revenue by only 5 percent.

“With a full quarter of data now, it is clear that the new casino has cannibalized the rest of the market,” said Jake Fuller of Thomas Weisel Partners.

Borgata will force other casinos to spend heavily on incentives to recapture their customers, analysts said. The resulting decline in profits will result in more lost jobs, said Michael Pollock, publisher of the Gaming Industry Observer.

Casinos have already cut nearly 400 jobs since Labor Day.

“There’s going to be some pressure to cut some positions further. There’s no question about that,” Pollock said. “That’s going to take a couple of forms. Some will be demand-related, some will be the result of further consolidation and some will be fueled by technology as ticket-in, ticket-out slots take hold.”

Analysts said it will be difficult for casinos to stay still while Borgata continues its broad-based marketing and promotional blitz.

“While other operators are claiming they have not responded, we believe they will have little choice if the market remains weak and Borgata continues to spend,” Kempf said.

“Thus, while we believe third-quarter cash flow will be weak for the market, fourth-quarter results may be a disaster if promotional spending were to increase,” he said.

FULL STORY

This doesn't bode well at all. The city needs to capitalize on the opening of the Borgata and the expansions of Harrah's and Tropicana and create the vibe of a "new" Atlantic City. But with the new slogan's launch seeming less than auspicious, I'm not that optimistic anymore.
posted by Dave at 12:42 PM

Buffet wars

Everytime someone asks me about the whole skin city/risque business stuff, I need stories like this to remind me of the REAL Vegas. Station casinos is dropping the prices on their buffets throughout Las Vegas. There is a story in the reviewjournal.

Billboards, newspaper ads, TV and radio spots all advertise Station Casinos' recent aggressive buffet price cuts, discounts that reduced the price of a buffet dinner at most of its properties from about $10 to $6.99.
The new prices undercut the buffet prices at leading competitors' buffets, including Coast Casinos' three buffets and those at Sam's Town, the two Arizona Charlie's, Palms, Terrible's, Rampart Casino and Cannery.
Standard dinner buffet prices at those properties range between $9.99 and $11.99, between 42.9 percent and 71.5 percent more than the new Station prices.
Despite the size of the buffet price cuts and the resulting gap in prices between Station and its competitors, both sides said there's no buffet war.
Station's competitors haven't lowered their buffet prices in response to the price cuts and said they have no plans to do so. They also maintained the Station discounts haven't hurt their own buffet business.
And Station executives said their 30 percent price reduction is only a temporary marketing campaign, not a long-term Station Casinos strategy.
'It's not a buffet war. It's not a paradigm shift,' Station Casinos Chief Operating Officer Steve Cavallaro said Tuesday. 'It's a broad-based marketing program. Everybody eats. We have the best buffets at the best prices.'
FULL STORY

Once, one of the litigants on The People's Court made a very astute comment: "You buy cheap, you buy twice." I'm not suggesting that it's true in the quality arena, as I'm sure the food is great. But there is probably a cost to your human dignity in waiting in line to devour $6.99 worth of food.

I'm not any kind of buffet snob; when I was doing my graduate research up here, I regularly hit the Silverton Buffet to stuff myself for $2.99 at breakfast; that was my food for the whole day, and I could work at the archives without a lunch break. It seemed to make sense. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to dine at Blue Wave, a sushi/Asian food buffet tonight. (All-you-can-eat sushi is probably the coolest thing about Vegas, if you're not into strip clubs.) Anyway, if you think that you'll get over by hitting the buffet and saving four dollars, it's a lock that dozens of other people have the same idea, which translates into long lines.

Something Jim Rome said once applies perfectly to the casino world: "If it's free there's a line, and if it's not nailed down it's gone."

For my money, the Palms and Green Valley Ranch both have some interesting buffet selections at reasonable prices, if you're curious. I'm mostly into salad and protein, though, so take that for what it's worth.
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posted by Dave at 5:05 PM

More on the Sarno Awards

Now that it has been picked up by real media outlets, I have more on the Sarno Awards presentation that was a part of the Casino Design 2003 conference. It is amazing that several people were recognized for their important contributions to the industry I study, but I was distracted by the fact that the casino was named for a Mortal Kombat II character. The big winners are:
-- Design Company of the Year for a Casino/Resort
- Dougall Design Associates, Inc.

-- Construction Company of the Year for a Casino/Resort
- Perini Building Company

-- Best Architectural Design Project for a Casino/Resort under $100
million
- Casino Monte Lago, Lake Las Vegas-John Klai, Klai Juba

-- Best Architectural Project for a Casino/Resort from $100 million-$250
million
- Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas-Friedmutter Group

-- Best Design Project for a Casino/Resort from $100 million-$250 million
- Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas-Scott Avjian Design Inc. (SADI)

-- Best Architectural Project for a Casino/Resort over $250 million
- The Borgata, Atlantic City-Marnell Architecture

-- Best Architectural Re-Design for a Casino/Resort
- Trump 29 Casino Resort, Palm Springs, California-SOSH Architects

-- Best Interior Design for a Casino/Resort
- Seneca Niagara Casino, Niagara Falls-JCJ-WWB Casino Design

-- Best Design for a Casino Restaurant/Nightclub
- Sushi Sake, Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas-Friedmutter Group

-- Best Interior Botanical Landscaping for a Casino/Resort
- Pechanga Casino Resort, Temecula, California-NatureMaker

-- Best Exterior Landscape Architecture for a Casino/Resort
- Green Valley Ranch Casino & Resort, Las Vegas-Lifescapes
International

-- Best Casino/Resort Real Estate Development Project
- Casino Monte Lago, Lake Las Vegas-Perini Building Company

-- Best Overall Casino/Resort Construction Project under $100 Million
- Desert Passage, The Aladdin, Las Vegas-KHS&S

-- Best Overall Casino/Resort Construction Project from $100 Million-$250
million
- Green Valley Ranch Casino Resort, Las Vegas-Perini Building Company

-- Best Overall Casino/Resort Construction Project over $250 million
- Borgata, Atlantic City-Yates/Tishman

-- Best Tribal Gaming Hotel/Resort Project
- Harrah's Rincon Casino, California-Paul Steelman Design Group

-- Best Central Attraction for a Casino Resort
- The New Tulalip Casino Dome, Marysville, Washington-Interior Design
International, Inc.


Here's the whole story:Borgata, Green Valley Ranch Big Winners at Sarno Awards, Presented at Casino Design 2003

Some people might guffaw at Desert Passage winning an award, but I think it works for what it is--unfortunately the rest of the casino doesn't.

There's also a story in the Sun about Bob Boughner's speech.
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posted by Dave at 2:14 PM

AC casino taxes revealed!

This material was never really a secret, but I thought it would be funny to rip on those "Casino Cheats Exposed" specials that you see on extended cable. I'd love to know exactly how they assess these properties, and how come they don't figure it down to the dollar amount? But it's good to know that Boyd and MGM Mirage just built the Borgata at an announced cost of $1.2 billion or so and it's worth exactly $795,827,200. You know what they say, you lose half the value as soon as you drive off the lot.

From the Press of Atlantic City:

Here is a list of Atlantic City's top five casino properties, plus their predicted property tax bills for 2003, including city, school district and county taxes:

The Borgata:

Assessed at: $795,827,200.

2003 tax bill: About $19 million (Would be higher, but the property wasn't finished until after the year began).


Bally's Park Place:

Assessed at: $679,938,000 (amount under appeal).

2003 tax bill: $22.9 million.


Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort:

Assessed at: $660,826,800.

2003 tax bill: $22.3 million


Caesars Atlantic City:

Assessed at: $625,717,800 (amount under appeal).

2003 tax bill: $21 million.


Tropicana Casino and Resort:

Assessed at: $550,931,300 (amount under appeal).

2003 tax bill: $18.6 million.

posted by Dave at 3:44 PM

Si Redd dies at 91

Gaming pioneer Si Redd, who parlayed a jukebox distributorship into the largest slot machine maker in the world, passed away this week. From the LV Sun:

With a group of engineers at IGT, Redd created the Megabucks statewide network of gaming machines that pays multimillion-dollar jackpots and video games for keno and blackjack as well as poker. Redd admitted he did not play the machines he invented.

In addition to his gaming accomplishments, Redd was a philanthropist known for his generosity to animal rights organizations and to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Si Redd Room and the Redd Vision video screen scoreboard at the Thomas & Mack Center are named for him.

"Si is truly one of our state's pioneers, and the legacy he leaves has had a profound impact on Las Vegas and the entire state of Nevada," UNLV President Carol Harter said of Redd, an inaugural inductee into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame at UNLV in 2002

"He and his late wife, Marilyn, meant a great deal to the UNLV community," Harter said, noting the couple's support for Rebel athletics, the Thomas & Mack Center and the UNLV Sports Medicine Center.

"Si certainly was a gambling original," said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association in Washington, D.C. "He had a remarkable personality and an innate understanding for what America's gamblers want and need. He was a linchpin for our industry."

FULL STORY

John L. Smith also wrote a thoughtful column about Redd's humble origins and philanthropy here: reviewjournal.com -- News: JOHN L. SMITH: To the end, preacher's son kept fa...
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posted by Dave at 3:34 PM

The fix was in

I didn't know that people bet on tennis, but I guess people bet on anything. Check out there story here:

ESPN.com: TENNIS - ATP looking into reports of match-rigging
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posted by Dave at 3:22 PM

Some quick thoughts

I've had a busy few days so haven't been able to post, but here's a few things that have been rattling around in my head. I don't have time for my usual excerpt/link/opinion, and these are just more or less observations and other ramblings.
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Vegas Hockey

Last week I went to an exhibition game where the Las Vegas Wranglers handily defeated the Bakersfield Condors, desite the fact that the Condors had much cooler multi-colored uniforms. The Wranglers play in the East Coast Hockey League with my hometown Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies. Don't ask me how the ECHL has teams on the West Coast, but it does. The Boardwalk Bullies make sense if you know that back in the glory days the Flyers were known as the Broad Street Bullies, but for those who don't know this fact, it just speaks to street crime. Not exactly a great way to reposition the city's image, but what are you going to do. Also, I think the Bullies' logo is a direct rip-off of the Long Beach Ice Dogs, who have the absolute coolest logo I've seen in a while.

Anyway, as far as hockey in Vegas, it is all good. The Orleans arena is a perfect venue for hockey and I can see it becoming a real attraction.

I've got one major beef, though. THEY HAVE TO CHANGE THE GOAL HORN!!! When the home team scores a goal, it really revs up the crowd and probably rattles the opposing goalie when a loud, jarring horn blasts. But the Wranglers' horn sounds like a fog horn. While its understated subtlety might be great when you're waking up on a weekend, it is barely audible and doesn't really do anything. That's about my only complaint, besides the fact that a replcia jersey costs $110, which seems rather steep for a minor league team. I paid $80 Canadian for a Montreal Canadiens jersey a few years ago, and that's about what I'd pay for any sports jersey--$40-$50 bucks, tops.
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Casino Design

The 2003 Casino Design conference, put on by Global Gaming Business, was incredible. Those who attended got a chance to learn a lot about how casinos are designed, planned, and built, and also some great speakers.

Bob Boughner, president of the Borgata in AC, gave a great talk about the new casino and really spoke to its identity. If it was a watch, it would be a Movado.

Here's another great quote. According to Tony Marnell, who built and operated the Rio and whose company, Marnell Corrao Associates, is a giant in casino architecture and construction, with a hand in most major projects, said that "themed resorts are no longer part of gaming."
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Lake Las Vegas

Anyway, the conference was my first trip to Lake Las Vegas, and it was fascinating. With upscale hotels, golf courses, and relatively small casinos, it is a step in a different direction. I noticed one very strange thing about the Hyatt Grand Regency, though: the casino is called "Casino Baraka."

Some of you might wonder why they named a casino after Amiri Baraka, but I have to confess that my first thought was: back, forward, down, forward, low punch.

No, I wasn't flashing back to a confrontation with Amiri Baraka, but I was reliving one of the few fatalities I mastered on Mortal Kombat II--Baraka's alternate fatality, the blade impalement (Baraka impales the victim on the blades that he has instead of hands, and the victim slooowly slides down). His primary fatality, of course, was the clean head swipe. This brought back memories of dozens of quarters wasted on MK II in the mid1990s.

I have absolutely no idea why anyone would name a casino after an obscure MK II character, but it works for me. FLAWLESS VICTORY.
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posted by Dave at 6:05 PM