President of the coalition calling on officials to address the decline in Atlantic city casino visitors

After a recent earnings report showed a drop in visitors at Atlantic City's offline casino resorts, the city's largest casino workers union and the New Jersey Casino Association called on city and state officials to urgently address the issue. A critical part of the land casino industry is also a key driver of the city's tourism economy, as reported by the Press of Atlantic City (PAC), and casino industry representatives call for immediate action.

Reducing the number of land visits:

Donna DeCaprio, president of Unite Here Local 54, reportedly said on March 15 that "alarm bells should be ringing in Atlantic City and Trenton" after the state gaming department reported February 2024 gaming revenue results.

On April 3, DiCaprio said of the drop in reported visitor numbers for Atlantic City's onshore gambling facilities "confirms what they've been warning about over the past year," the PAC reported. "It's incredibly troubling to see that six of the nine gaming facilities have seen their casino multipliers decline compared to February 2023 and they're down to date compared to 2023."

Union Chairperson Demanding City and State:

The United Here Local 54 union is known to represent more than 10,000 casino workers in Atlantic City. The union president recognizes the recent decline as an issue for city and state authorities as well as the industry to deal with, as the decline in casino visits can be reflected in the number of tourist visits in the city and state.

"As lawmakers continue to proceed with the annual state budget process, members of the New Jersey Legislature must understand the dangerous economic conditions at hand for my lawmakers, and indeed for all workers in Atlantic City," DeCaprio reported. "Not only is overall direct tax an issue, but the size of the decline in some individual properties creates severe instability for thousands of workers. Lawmakers must take this into account when considering policies that could exacerbate the decline."

Casino earnings down 1.6% year-over-year:

In February 2024, the nine land casinos in Atlantic City posted $211.6 million in total gaming revenue, 1.6% less than the same month in 2023, according to a state report that prompted a response from casino industry insiders. PAC, on the other hand, said the online gaming service provider posted $182.3 million in revenue, nearly 28% higher than in February 2023.

Key urban economic drivers:

The same source reports that casino officials and state lawmakers are sharing DiCaprio's views. Marc Giannantonio, president of the New Jersey Casino Association, said DiCaprio's observations align with the casino industry's view of the issue. Giannantonio reportedly said the industry has also been pointing the finger at the issue for "a considerable amount of time," and called on cities and states to deal with these important issues about the city's economy.

"Now is not the time to enact laws like a blanket smoking ban to further erode customer visits and income to property," Giannantonio reportedly said. "It is time for Atlantic City and the state of New Jersey to have the authority to oversee the city to address the issues that are preventing economic growth and develop solutions that will increase visits to Atlantic City."

Reduced Visitor Issue Pending Solution:

Senator Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, agreed with DeCaprio's view, noting that the problem has remained a solution for quite some time. Polistina said that "alarm bells" have been ringing for years, "but parts of the city choose to sleep right through them."

As reported, Polistina said: "Without safety, cleanliness, and lighting, the city will continue to lose tourists, along with offline income. Given that much of the city looks worse than ever, and the city has essentially bankrupt its CRDA, the city has never been in a more volatile situation than it is now."

The ball now seems to be in the city's field, waiting for Atlantic City officials to develop a game strategy. 온라인 슬롯