Atlantic City Casinos Blog

   As the summer tourists go home and locals settle into their back-to-school routines, Atlantic City’s hotels and casinos are looking for ways to lure people in, especially on weekdays.

   Bally’s will offer triple comps for play Sunday through Thursday for the month of October. Not a great multiplier, but it helps.

   Teplitzky’s in the Chelsea Hotel starts a happy hour on October 1. From 4-7 p.m., 7 nights a week, you can get half-price appetizers and drink specials. These include a $4 mixed-drink special each night, $3 imported beers and $2 domestic beers. It’s not quite as good as comped, but the Chelsea is a pretty classy place, so you get some great ambience for the price of the drinks at your local watering hole.

   Tropicana is advertizing $69 room specials for week nights in October. And that’s for people who don’t gamble. Anyone who plays there can get it cheaper, if not for free.

   Here’s something to do tomorrow (Tuesday) at Caesars if you don’t have to be at a job. They’re holding their first annual life-skills fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Palladium ballroom. There will be health screenings, workshops on things like financial planning, and lots of exhibitors. Admission is free.

   Harrah’s Entertainment is taking notice of something travel industry professionals have known for years: that gay people have more disposable income than straight people. The money that “family values” folks spend on childrearing, soccer camp, cheerleading and music lessons is available to gay people to come to places like Atlantic City.

   To help lure the gay and lesbian market, Harrah’s properties are holding an “out in Atlantic City” weekend from Sept. 25 to 27. A bunch of gay-oriented activities are planned, and some of them are sure to be fun for open-minded heteros who love to party.

   Scheduled events include:

   - A Friday night party at Club Worship at the Showboat, with rapper Cazwell and hosted by Amanda Lepore. It runs 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and tickets are $30.

   - A Saturday afternoon party at the Harrah’s Pool with DJs, pool toys and drinks. Cost is $10 or free to guests of the hotel. Cabana rentals are extra.

   - A mixer with cast members of “The L Word” (seen on Showtime) Saturday night at the House of Blues Foundation Room at Showboat. It runs 5-7 p.m. and costs $50.

   - At 9 p.m. Saturday, several members of “The L Word” cast will take the stage at the House of Blues arena for a “pillow talk” session with the audience. Tickets are $25. It will be followed by a 10 p.m. to 4 a.m party at Club Worship, where tickets are $30.

   - For the guys, there will be a party in the Palladium Ballroom at Caesars, hosted by Lance Bass and DJ Jai Rodriguez from “Queer Eye,” as well as guest DJs. Tickets are $30.

   - A brunch and bingo will be held in the Harrah’s ballroom at 11 a.m. Sunday, with unlimited champagne and bloody Marys.

   You can also get a pass admitting you to all weekend events for $160 or to all the women’s events for $80.

   Some of the proceeds from the event will benefit the South Jersey AIDS Alliance.

    So if it’s your bag, come out and have a gay old time in Atlantic City. If you’re coming with children or don’t want to participate in this kind of atmosphere, you’ll want to avoid the Harrah’s properties that weekend.

   Actually, this move is a trip back to Atlantic City’s past. Some old-timers have told me that AC was a gay mecca back in the 1960s. New York Avenue was filled with clubs that catered to gays and “straight people who love to party,” as one older gentleman put it. It all disappeared with the casino era, but it looks like Harrah’s wants to bring the parties back to town. The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority is on board with the plan to make the city more gay-friendly, especially in light of declining revenues in tough economic times.

   I was driving into Atlantic City last night, and was struck by the number of billboards on the Atlantic City Expressway offering bonuses for new players to join their slot clubs. The Harrah’s properties offer a free room in Las Vegas if you sign up in AC. Tropicana offers a coupon book full of discounts all over the property. Trump Marina will give new players $50 in free slot play, and Trump Plaza lets new members spin a wheel for a prize.

   Too bad I’m already a member of every slot club in town. I got nothing like this when I joined. But if you’re not in my position, check the billboards as you drive into town. Also check the weekly free newspapers, At the Shore and Atlantic City Weekly for ads about the incentives.

   Here’s another way to jump-start your holiday shopping. Bally’s is having a spree month in September. Starting at 6 a.m. September 1, you earn one “spree” point for every 5 base Total Reward credits you earn at Bally’s. On Sept. 26, go to the upstairs ballroom and pick out your gift. Or take free slot play instead. Redemptions start at 50 points, so it won’t take much to earn a holiday gift for someone on your list.

   Just a reminder that if you like good gourmet grub, Atlantic City is the place to be this weekend.

   The annual Food and Wine Festival is taking place at all four properties owned by Harrah’s Entertainment. A large number of celebrity chefs are taking part, and there will be plenty of food and drink to go around. Prices for the events hosted by the famous chefs range from $50 to $1,000 for an intimate dinner with Guy Fieri and 23 others. You can link to the event through Harrah’s web site, www.harrahs.com.

   If nothing else, I strongly recommend a trip to the main expo, running from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the sixth-floor ballroom at Bally’s. Admission is $30, and you can pay at the door.  You couldn’t pay with Total Rewards credits last year, which is a shame, because I don’t believe in paying for something I can get for free. But even though we had to cough up $30 in cash, it was well worth it. Several gourmet rooms from Harrah’s properties offered samples of their creations, and they don’t mind you coming back for seconds, thirds or even fourths. Numerous quality area restaurants offered tastes of their signature dishes, and many independent breweries and wineries offered samples as well. You can also buy salsas, sauces and other delights to use in your own kitchen. We staggered out of there stuffed and buzzed, but definitely satisfied. I plan to be there Sunday with a few of my foodie family members.

   You can hit the gym next week. I know I’ll have to.

   If you’ve driven into Atlantic City in the last month or so, you can’t miss them. The billboards are up on all routes into town. “When dealers are treated unfairly, everybody loses.” “When we all work together, everybody wins.”

   The public-relations battle between the United Auto Workers and several Atlantic City casinos, notably Bally’s and Caesars, is escalating. A couple of year ago, dealers at several casinos voted for union representation by the UAW. They say the casinos have refused to negotiate a contract, and started a public-relations campaign by putting up billboards and taking out full-page ads in the local paper. The casinos responded with ads of their own.

   It’s gotten a little nastier in the last week or so. The casinos put up billboards saying “Don’t let the UAW turn Atlantic City into another Detroit.” Enough said. The union fought back by taking out a full-page ad detailing the salary (well into eight figures) and benefits the Harrah’s Entertainment CEO walked off with last year.

   None of it is pretty, and none of it is good publicity for a resort struggling in hard economic times.

   So far, this war of words is not affecting the players or casino operations. Most visitors probably look at the roadside placards and newspaper ads and wonder what this is all about. It might be a different story if dealers go on strike or the UAW puts up “informational pickets” at casino entrances.

    Meanwhile, I’m sure the local paper and the bilboard companies appreciate the extra revenue.

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/

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.