Last month, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced a plan to impose state control over Atlantic City’s Casino District. Not everyone was thrilled, and the consensus seemed to be that the state had no business interfering, and it would make things worse for AC’s struggling casinos.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie outside AC Boardwalk Hall

In response, The Casino Association of New Jersey has now put out a report cooked up for them by the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. 

The report highlights the importance of the casino industry to the state’s economy, and especially for tourism.

Highlights from the study,  titled “The Contribution of the Casino Hotel Industry to New Jersey’s Economy”:-

- AC accounts for one-third (33.4%) of all NJ tourism.
- The NJ casino resort industry supports 101,500 jobs (2% of state workforce).
- The industry contributes nearly $1 billion annually to tax coffers.
- A loss of $1 million in NJ casino revenues causes an avg. loss of 19.6 jobs.

Highlights aside, the really suggestive parts are hidden in between all the numbers. For example, while talking about the job losses associated with drops in casino revenues, the report suggests that “were it not for the casinos, the rest of the complex would not exist.”

Another point made by the report is that all NJ casino workers need to be licensed within New Jersey, for which they must live in the state. Meaning that every casino worker lives and spends money in New Jersey.

This is actually a pretty big issue for New Jersey, since a large number of people commute to the state for jobs, but live in New York and Pennsylvania. The NJ state Senate has already passed a bill that applies the same mandatory residence rule to all newly hired NJ state employees.

But the key point which the Rutgers report makes is that Atlantic City brings in millions of gamblers who then spend heavily on tourism. Atlantic City accounts for one-third (33.4%) of all tourism to New Jersey.  In 2008, 34.4 million visitors spent an estimated $7.5 billion in Atlantic City. 80% of these visitors said that gambling was the primary purpose of their trip.

Contribution of the Casino Hotel Industry to New Jersey’s Economy: Download (pdf)
Governor’s Advisory Commission Report on New Jersey Gaming – State.nj.us

Photo – NJ Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen

Related posts:-
Vegas, Orlando, AC Top List of Tourism-Dependent U.S. Economies

In this month alone, at least four states – Florida, Hawaii, Michigan and Pennsylvania – have made fresh overtures towards the casino sector for allowing entry or expansion. With tourism numbers down and the economy still sluggish, no doubt there will soon be more states lining up to roll the dice.

For destinations looking to gamble all your chips and sell your soul to a casino mogul, there’s a few things you should know first – about how Sin City has refined casino marketing into a fine art. Here’s a few examples:-

Encore Carpet

Sleep Deprivation:- What’s Sin City’s secret sauce that stops bleary eyed gamblers from calling it a night?

From the flashing neon outside and the garish lighting inside to the free flow of alcohol and the magic carpets, everything is meant to be a wake-up call for a gambler about to quit.

These magic carpets don’t fly, but the extravagant color patterns and designs assault the senses and keep casino customers wide awake all night long.

No exit

No Exit:- Once you’re inside, they want you to forget the world outside. So there’s no windows or clocks to remind you of the time of day (or night).

CityCenter’s ARIA casino is an exception, designed to utilize natural light to reduce energy consumption.

They make it easy for you to enter, but not so easy to exit. Casinos in Vegas have many entrances and escalators leading in from all sides, but only a select few leading out.

Airport slot machines

In-flight Entertainment:- If you’re in Vegas or on your way, you can run from the slots, but you can’t hide. McCarran Airport has over 1, 234 slot machines all over the terminals.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. even bought two L-1011 planes which it intends to modify and outfit with baccarat tables, to be used by gamblers being ferried by Sands from Asia to its Las Vegas casinos.

Not to be left behind, even the waters in Las Vegas aren’t immune. The Hard Rock Resort’s swimming pool offers a floating craps table.

Comp City

Comp Clubs:- To reel in a big whale, casinos will offer the world in comps, from free group transport (see above) to hotel suites with butler service, shopping trips, exclusive event tickets and club access, and even loss rebates – where the casino gives you back a percentage of your loss. 

Comp Clubs are a more down-to-earth rewards program which reward casino play for regulars – Sin City’s version of loyalty club memberships. Basically everything else you can get for free, provided you spend enough on casino play.

There’s Harrah’s Total Rewards, MGM Mirage has the Players Club, etc. The Las Vegas Advisor rewards book is a good place to find out what’s on offer.

Everything you see in Vegas – from the monumental exteriors to the fantasy worlds inside, from cheap hotel rooms to comps, all of it is focused on maximizing opportunities for gambling, ensuring that visitors stay and play longer, and keep coming back for more.

Photo credits:- No exit – intergalactic hussy; Encore carpet – David G. Schwartz; Airport slots – Jérôme; Comp City – Max Rubin