27-01-2006

Atlantic City vs. Las Vegas

When Atlantic City first appeared on the gambling scene it had one important strategy, to be as much unlike Las Vegas as a gambling town can be. Ever since then the comparisons don't end, it's smaller, it's colder, and yes it's a whole lot wetter but to many east coaster Atlantic City isn't just a dream vacation it's a weekend destination.

Perhaps the biggest burn to Atlantic City came this year when the Miss America pageant, which began on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, moved off for bigger and better opportunities in Las Vegas. Ouch!

Nevada was one of the first states in the United States to legalize gambling, and when it did in 1931 the Mojave Desert of Nevada started on its path to becoming Las Vegas. Today, the Las Vegas Strip alone has 3 times the amount of casinos as all of Atlantic City.

Atlantic City started as a beach side carnival town, and like many of these places, (Coney Island, Point Pleasant, Cape May, Ocean City...) it dissolved into a forgotten town with the depression. The first casino opened up in Atlantic City in 1978 as part of an effort to bring this once great town back to life. The entirety of Atlantic City consists of only a 48 block strip of land.

Atlantic City opened with strict policies about background checks for employees and companies applying for casino licenses. They did this hoping to gain none of the Las Vegas reputation for a free wheeling, mob controlled city, and become more of a classy, Monte Carlo type resort city.

“In those early days, one of the worst things a casino executive could do was show up at a Casino Control Commission meeting and say, 'That's not the way we do it in Las Vegas,'” said Daniel Heneghan, spokesman for the agency.

But throughout all the attempted differences, the emerging Atlantic City relied heavily on Las Vegas. While much of the hotel labor was hired locally, all casino executives were recruited from Las Vegas because of their experience in the field.

The main difference that has emerged between the two cities is their purpose as a destination. While Vegas vacations take months of planning, and thousands of dollars are spent, Atlantic City is a quick weekend trip for small time gambling. Visitors to Atlantic City are also sometimes there on an impulse.

“When I was in college in northern New Jersey people would just hop into the car at 10pm Friday night and head off to A.C. for the night,” said one New Jersey resident.

This has made all the difference for the two cities. Most visitors to Atlantic City stay only an average of 13 hours, while the average visitor to Las Vegas will stay 4 and a half nights. So though Atlantic City remains a tiny gambling town, Vegas will always be Vegas.

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