Georgia Gaming Market Assessment - Pennsylvania Treasury
Georgia Gaming Market Assessment - Pennsylvania Treasury
Georgia Gaming Market Assessment - Pennsylvania Treasury
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Atlantic City currently offers approximately 29,000 slots and 1,600 gaming tables. Atlantic City<br />
casinos run substantial busing programs from the Philadelphia, northern New Jersey and New<br />
York markets, and offer full-scale gaming, but drive times from these markets are all at least one<br />
hour.<br />
There have been a number of proposed projects that have been postponed, since 2008, due to the<br />
economic downturn and increasing competition. Many companies have cited their suspensions<br />
as a necessary move in order to pursue long-term financing options. These include the following:<br />
• After announcing plans for a new casino in the Marina District, MGM Mirage halted the<br />
project in October 2008. The decision came only days after the company reported a 67%<br />
decline in 3rd quarter earnings. Recently, the company has decided to cease its<br />
investments in Atlantic City because of both the declines in the market and pressure from<br />
the gaming control board due to the company’s relationship with Pansy Ho, the casino<br />
developer in Macau.<br />
• MGM Grand announced, in February 2010, its intention of selling its 40% stake in<br />
Borgata. MGM found a buyer in October 2010, but details about the buyer and the deal<br />
were not made public.<br />
• In January 2009, Revel Entertainment announced that it would delay the construction of<br />
its $2 billion casino development project with plans to continue work over the next 12 to<br />
15 months. It wasn’t until February 2011, however, that Revel secured financing through<br />
JP Morgan thanks to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie helping to push the deal<br />
through by providing tax rebates totaling $260 million over 20 years. Construction has<br />
continued on Revel’s casino and the facility is scheduled to open in May 2012 which will<br />
include a 1,100 room hotel.<br />
• In March 2009, Pinnacle postponed construction indefinitely on its $1.5 billion<br />
beachfront casino resort. In February 2010, the company announced that it is pulling out<br />
of the Atlantic City market and will attempt to sell its stake in the land. The most recent<br />
reports suggest that Pinnacle will have to sell at a 70% discount.<br />
The decline in slot win in 2007 is primarily due to the impact of PARX and Chester Downs<br />
openings, resulting in a near 9% decline in 2007 in slot revenue in Atlantic City. This increased<br />
competition for Atlantic City has caused this trend to continue as slot revenue fell in each<br />
consecutive year through 2010 when slot revenue only reached $2.5 billion. Table revenue has<br />
declined each year since 2008 as well, reaching only $1.1 billion in 2010, contributing to the<br />
negative trend occurng in total revenue. In 2009, Atlantic City took another battering due to<br />
increased competition in the northeast corridor including the addition of Sands Casino and<br />
Resort in Bethlehem, PA. Atlantic City wasn’t hit as hard in 2010 as it was in 2009, despite the<br />
addition of table games at <strong>Pennsylvania</strong> facilities and the opening of SugarHouse in downtown<br />
Philadelphia in Q4 2010, but slot revenue, table revenue, and total revenue all fell more than<br />
8.5%. Since it’s peak in 2006, Atlantic City revenue has seen a near 35% decrease in slot win,<br />
23% decrease in table win, and a 31.5% decrease in total win. Through the first three months of<br />
2011, slot revenue is down nearly 6% from the first three months in 2010, table revenue is down<br />
The Innovation Group Project #054-11 August 2011 Page 55