The Differences between Gambling in Las Vegas and in Atlantic City

Many people see Las Vegas as the Gambling Capital of the world and Atlantic City as second place in the race for gambling supremacy. However, in the strictest sense, this is not completely true. Atlantic City has several advantages over Las Vegas that make it far more attractive to gamblers everywhere.

Firstly, the size and proximity of the casinos in Atlantic City make them far more accessible than the Las Vegas gambling scene. Placed in New Jersey, Atlantic City caters to more than sixty million people live in with a day's drive. From all over the tri-state area, gamblers flock to Atlantic City. Most of them stay for a day or two, making Atlantic city a kind of nexus for day trippers, as they are called. On the other hand, Las Vegas hails from the desert, making it difficult for casual gambling to exist. Although in the past few years Las Vegas has become a vacation spot for families, because of the huge resorts and hotels built there, it is still a prime gambling location especially for the high rollers.

Another factor is the size of the casinos themselves in Atlantic City. The gambling surroundings in Las Vegas may be large and sumptuous, especially with the new casinos built in recent years, but there is nothing quite like those in Atlantic City. Football field sized colossi, thousands can fit under a single roof. Hundreds of busses pour into the city every day, unloading the hordes that play in the casinos. In fact, the shuttle services are very often paid for by the casinos themselves, since the customers will shell out a lot more than what the casinos pay on busses.

However, perhaps the thing that makes Atlantic City so very different than other gambling cities is the famous Boardwalk. All the casinos in Atlantic City are all places along the wooden boardwalk that has figured so prominently in films and books. A gambler can flit in and out of casinos within minutes. This centralization makes it easier for gamblers to go from one casino to another, and it happens more than you expect. People gambling often lose, and then they change casinos for a change of luck. In the Las Vegas Strip, while the different casinos are next to each other, they are separated by parking lots. In the arid desert heat, making the change can be a tedious business. Written by Marcus Lambert, 30.11.05

Related Articles