Atlantic City in South New Jersey was the capital of the gambling world until the mob decided to move a large chunk their business to Las Vegas, then a desolate desert town in Nevada. But Atlantic City has made a come back of sorts. I am given to understand that there are about 15 casinos here today, drawing over 100,000 people on an average summer weekday.
Old, retired empty nesters jostle with young compulsive gamblers on slot machines, and on poker and blackjack tables. Ostensibly they are all there to have a good time – spend a day or two at some of the plush casinos, eat, drink and gamble some money. The casinos are only too happy. They offer fancy rooms at heavily discounted rates and put on great food. They also keep rates for their movies-on-demand on TV very high and don’t have swimming pools or any other typical five star luxuries. This essentially ensures that customers spend a large part of their time at the playing table.
The playing area itself is always lit up in neon and bright spotlights with a constant night time feel and comfortable temperature. It is the same 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It lulls one into a state of timelessness; sitting at a table you won’t know the difference between 1 pm and 1 am and 7 am. You are just focused on getting the right hand or hoping that your slot machine combination wins you a jackpot. And you keep playing one more game after one more game. The drinks keep coming, the bonhomie is infectious the sound of coins jingling in the slot machines keeps you feeling good about yourself and it’s very easy to forget that nobody ever wins against the house - Harrahs Entertainment, one of the largest casino operators in the US has seen its stock shoot up and is now being traded at an all time high.
Old, retired empty nesters jostle with young compulsive gamblers on slot machines, and on poker and blackjack tables. Ostensibly they are all there to have a good time – spend a day or two at some of the plush casinos, eat, drink and gamble some money. The casinos are only too happy. They offer fancy rooms at heavily discounted rates and put on great food. They also keep rates for their movies-on-demand on TV very high and don’t have swimming pools or any other typical five star luxuries. This essentially ensures that customers spend a large part of their time at the playing table.
The playing area itself is always lit up in neon and bright spotlights with a constant night time feel and comfortable temperature. It is the same 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It lulls one into a state of timelessness; sitting at a table you won’t know the difference between 1 pm and 1 am and 7 am. You are just focused on getting the right hand or hoping that your slot machine combination wins you a jackpot. And you keep playing one more game after one more game. The drinks keep coming, the bonhomie is infectious the sound of coins jingling in the slot machines keeps you feeling good about yourself and it’s very easy to forget that nobody ever wins against the house - Harrahs Entertainment, one of the largest casino operators in the US has seen its stock shoot up and is now being traded at an all time high.
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