The Problem With Atlantic City

Why isn’t Atlantic City the casino capital of the world?

That’s a question I’ve asked myself on numerous occassions. As we all know, Las Vegas is the casino capitol of the world. No question about it. But the tricky question is why.

Atlantic City is much closer to many other metropolitan locaitons such as Philadelphia (1 hour), New York City (1.5 hours), Delaware, Baltimore and Washington DC. Not to mention the fact that Atlantic City is located in the most densely populated state in the United States, New Jersey. Too make matters even better, Atlantic City is a Jersey Shore town! Go to the shore during the day and the Casinos at night!

With all these advantages, why is Las Vegas so much better than Atlantic City? To be honest, I’m not completely sure, but here are a few guesses:

1. Atlantic City is not far enough away to be considered a true vacation for most people on the East Coast
2. Atlantic City has second rate casinos, second rate food and second rate shows
3. Atlantic City has too much ugliness. In fact, most of Atlantic City is ugly.
4. Atlantic City has an identity crisis: is it a beach town or casino showtown?

I’m sure there are a number of other factors. Perhaps Atlantic City grew out of an already existing city that imposed intrinisic limitations on its growth. Maybe Atlantic City just got stuck with the wrong group of casino owners. I don’t know. But I do know that Atlantic City is light years away in catching up to Las Vegas in terms of fun factor!