Atlantic City Casinos Blog

Atlantic City, NJ –- Jefferson Starship will kick-off the summer season on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend with a free concert in the historic Dennis Courtyard at Bally’s Atlantic City.  The Dennis Courtyard will serve as a truly unique venue to see this show with sweeping ocean views right on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.  The free concert is open to all ages and begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.

Jefferson Starship, a collaboration of celebrated musicians that plays from the rich songbook of its legendary forefathers Jefferson Airplane and the original incarnation of Jefferson Starship, prevails as one of the most critically acclaimed touring acts today. Steeped in the fantastic realms of science fiction and the contemporary American shadow land, Jefferson Starship features a stellar cast of old and new players, featuring songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner, David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin and Cathy Richardson, who were crucial in developing the renowned “San Francisco Sound” that changed the course of pop music forever.

In 1995, Jefferson Starship headlined a tribute to the at Hollywood’s House of Blues, broadcast nationally on the CBS Radio Network Concert Series. With very special guest Grace Slick (in her last live performance to date), they debuted new material, together with timeless classics, comprising the 1995 release Deep Space/Virgin Sky.

In 1996 Kantner, Balin & Casady were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as part of Jefferson Airplane. Since reforming, Jefferson Starship has performed almost 500 concerts in 16 countries.

There will be no charge for this outdoor show in the Dennis Courtyard at Bally’s Atlantic City.  It is an all ages show with doors opening at 4 p.m. and the show beginning at 5 p.m.  For more information on Jefferson Starship, please visit http://www.jeffersonstarshipsf.com/

   If you’re a foodie, or just like good eating, mark your calendar now. And then hit the gym. You’ll need the extra workouts for this one.

   Harrah’s Entertainment will host its second annual food and wine festival July 30 to August 2.  It’s a four-day event that features celebrity chef cooking demos, an exhibition hall full of yummy food and good booze, pool parties and a cigar party at the Bikini Beach bar. The events take place at all four properties, and the tickets just went on sale today.

   There are a limited number of $2,000 “pink ribbon” passes, which benefit a local cancer fund. It gives you access to a lot of events so you can stuff your face all weekend.

   Last year, a couple buddies and I went to the expo in the ballroom at Bally’s. It costs $30 to get in, but that includes all the samples of food, wine and beer that you can fit into your gut. I’d suggest starting with the Harrah’s Entertainment restaurant tables, where the samples were out of this world. I went back for seconds and thirds on some of them. Other local restaurants offer tastes of their fare, and that was far from shabby. We went on Sunday, and one of the microbreweries gave us extra bottles of their beer to take home because they didn’t feel like packing it up. We made the mistake of booking dinner in Bacchanal at Caesars after the expo. Needless to say, we were too stuffed to enjoy what is usually an awesome repast.

   Logon to www.acfoodandwine.com for event details and to buy tickets. The only drawback for Harrah’s players is that last year, they didn’t let you pay with Reward Credits.

   I have a correction to make from my last post. To view the “green rewards” Harrah’s properties are offering for their Earth Day promotion, visit www.harrahs.com/acgogreen. Sorry about that.

The environment is on a lot of people’s minds these days, so Harrah’s Entertainment is playing on the theme with a “go green” promotion.

Play at any Atlantic City property (Harrah’s, Caesars, Bally’s or Showboat) between Earth Day, April 22, and June 5, and earn points towards environment-related products. You might have to swipe your card at a promotional kiosk before you start.

Earning just 100 base Reward Credits gets you a reusable tote bag. Each redemption of 500 points gets you $5 in slot play. Rack up a few thousand points for gifts like a solar flashlight, a bowl made from recycled glass or jewelry made from recycled glass. The values go up from there, and you can see the entire catalogue at www.harrahs.com/ac.goinggreen. If you feel like moving into a casino for the entire six weeks and playing $25 machines for eighteen hours a day, you might earn a million points and qualify for a free eco-tour of Australia.

In other thoughts, it was good to go to Atlantic City last weekend and find the casinos actually crowded. It may be that it was the first warm and sunny weekend of the year, or people may be feeling moreupbeat about the economy, but they were in town and playing last weekend.

I stopped into the Showboat yesterday for a worthwhile promotion. I lost, but the offer was good in theory. Them’s the breaks, and I’m used to it.

I had no trouble getting on one of the eight video-poker machines that still has full-pay games. In fact, during most of my play, I could take my pick of several available seats.

But when I wanted to play some penny slots for diversion, I found my favorite ones were all occupied. I had to wait to play Reel ‘Em In: Big Bass Bucks, the penny game I like the most. And if I wanted to sit at the only $5 blackjack table the Showboat offers, forget it. There were half a dozen people standing around it waiting for their turn.

An article in Sunday’s Press of Atlantic City bore out my experience. While casino revenues have been declining, a report just issued by the Casino Control Commission found that the penny and 2-cent slots are making MORE money. That’s right, the hold on the penny slots went up over 8% in the first quarter of 2009.

Sounds like the casinos should take a message from that. People are hurting, but still want to gamble. There are usually plenty of penny slots to play, even if I can’t get on my favorite games. But it would be nice to see some more $5 blackjack tables while the recession is on. People will play them, as it will allow their more limited gambling bankrolls to last longer. And it’s sure better than having dealers standing forlorn at $10 and $15 games.

It’s official. Sort of. There is no recession in Atlantic City.

Don’t tell the bean counters in the corporate offices that. They know all too well that their revenues are going down, down, down.

But Joe Corbo, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said in his monthly column in the Casino Connection trade magazine, that talk of hard times at the gaming tables is a big no-no. In his column, Corbo tells casino employees that if a customer talks about the recession at the tables, they are to politely change the subject. And they are never, ever to talk about their own personal struggles in these times. People come to the casinos to escape, Corbo says, and should not be reminded of their shrinking IRAs and rising property taxes when they come in to play. Corbo’s word isn’t law in the gaming halls, but it’s an indicator of how the industry is feeling the pinch.

The story was picked up by the wire services, so we’ll see what the larger world thinks of Corbo’s remarks.

Meanwhile, people who still have money in their pockets can take good advantage of the non-recession  in Atlantic City. As I’ve mentioned before, room rates are quite reasonable for this time of year, so it’s a good time for a mini-getaway to AC.

You can also treat yourself to a gourmet meal at casual restaurant prices. Perhaps encouraged by the great success of last month’s Restaurant Week, many fine-dining establishments are continuing to offer specials. I was in Bally’s the other day with my nephew and his girlfriend, and we saw that the Italian room, Arturo’s, is offering two three-course meals for $70, including a glass of wine. The choices are limited, but if you like what you see, it’s a great deal. They said they might try it for a romantic dinner.

The two gourmet rooms at the Tropicana offer $35 prix-fixe menus on weeknights. But my favorite is still at Trump Plaza. It’s Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at Max’s Steakhouse and Wednesday and Thursday nights at Roberto’s. For $35 a person, you get an appetizer, soup or salad and an entree. An additional $5 buys coffee and dessert. The wine specials vary, but it can be selected bottles for $15 or selected wines for $5 a glass. Both rooms offer impeccable service and a wonderful atmosphere, and the food is definitely first-rate.

Bon appetit!

The Atlantic City Surf minor-league baseball team announced Monday that they are packing it in after 11 seasons in the stadium on Route 40. Team owners said low attendance and the city’s impending sale of the Bader Field complex made it hard to attract sponsors and turn a profit for the team.

Count me in as one local resident who is disappointed at the news. My buddies and I went to only a few games each summer, but we always had a great time. There wasn’t a bad seat in the place, and the most expensive tickets were $15. Food was reasonably priced, even if the selection wasn’t that great. Several times a year, they put on an awesome fireworks display, and one day each summer guests were invited to bring their dogs. The wacky between-inning contests for kids and adults alike made you laugh, even if you weren’t willing to get on the field and make a fool of yourself for a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

The sea-serpent mascot was a hit with the kids, and I’m sure many a young heart was broken by today’s picture on the front page of the Atlantic City Press, showing the costume being folded and packed for the last time.

The games were an affordable family outing, and I’ll miss them.