Casino Connection Atlantic City

Here’s to the Winners

In our 30th year, we hail the crafters of the Casino Control Act

by Joseph A. Corbo, Jr.

This year we celebrate 30 years of gaming in New Jersey. This historic occasion presents an opportunity to reflect on the successes of our industry and recognize the “intelligent design” of the founding framers of the New Jersey Casino Control Act.

The Casino Control Act was the enabling legislation that in 1977 permitted casinos to be established in Atlantic City, turning the tarnished “Queen of Resorts” into the only jurisdiction outside Nevada to offer casinos.

State Superior Court Judge Steven Perskie (then an Atlantic City assemblyman, later a senator) and then-Governor Brendan Byrne built the framework for a regulatory and economic system that’s flourished for three decades. The objective was to revitalize Atlantic City, which was suffering from a severe economic decline.

The primary tenets of gaming in Atlantic City were:

• A strong regulatory system governed by dual agencies, the Casino Control Commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement, with integrity as the watchword.

• A stable investment climate and a minimum of 500 hotel rooms and other amenities to spur billions of dollars in capital investment. From an economic development standpoint, the framers’ vision has been far exceeded. The casino industry is a vital economic generator not only for Atlantic City but for the entire state of New Jersey. This formula permitted and fostered the development of not only the casino industry but a destination resort that attracts gamblers and non-gambling tourists alike. Consider:

• 35 million people visit Atlantic City annually, making it the fourth most- visited destination in the United States.

• Our 11 casinos generate as much gaming revenue each year as the largest 24 casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

• To date, about $12 billion in capital has been invested to develop casinos, with billions more lined up.

• We employ 42,000 individuals directly and another 20,000 indirectly.

• Our industry has generated more than $17 billion in taxes and fees over the past 30 years, with $1.1 billion in tax revenues now being generated each year by our industry.

• Our casinos purchase $2.5 billion in goods and services from New Jersey vendors each year.

We owe the historic success of our industry to the prescient framers of the Casino Control Act. Our success as a gaming jurisdiction prompted many more jurisdictions to emerge throughout the country; many of those jurisdictions follow the New Jersey regulatory model as a blueprint.

Fortunately for us, most other gaming jurisdictions have not imitated the investment climate that’s a hallmark of the New Jersey model. The intelligent design of the Casino Control Act has positioned our industry to become the East’s Coast’s entertainment mecca. It will enable Atlantic City to differentiate itself from and effectively compete with the emerging regional destinations that offer a convenient slot machine experience, and little else.

As the voice of the Atlantic City casino industry, the Casino Association owes a collective thanks to the found-ing fathers of Atlantic City gaming. They were smart enough to know that they didn’t know everything, so they built a system with enough flexibility to adapt to new challenges. Those challenges never cease. Neither does our admiration.

Here’s to the Hosts

The 11th Annual Host Awards recognize the best in casino hospitality. Honored May 14 were 25 recipients whose enthusiasm and exemplary customer service embody the best of Atlantic City.

• Charles Urban, Resorts - Best Server, Fine Dining Casino Restaurant

• Renee Hollis, Harrah’s - Best Server, Casual Dining Casino Restaurant

• Hever Moro, Borgata - Best Server, Banquet Catering

• Jose Diaz, Hilton - Best Food and Beverage Support

• Walter Turner, Caesars - Best Bartender

• Philomena Urato, Showboat - Best Host/Hostess

• Barbara Fryer, Trump Marina - Best Retail Sales Associate

• Francisco Velasco, Trump Taj Mahal - Best Valet

• Vertie Gause, Sheraton Hotel - Best Bell Person

• Brian Cooke, Sheraton Hotel - Best Door Person

• Eneida Berrios, Bally’s - Best Room Attendant • Rene De Jesus, Borgata - Best Food Production Personnel

• Craven Turner, Tropicana - Best Food Production Personnel

• Donald Housel, Borgata - Best Concierge/Guest Services

• Noreen Walsh, Borgata - Best Heart of the House

• Virginia Haspel, Sheraton Hotel - Best Reservationist

• Walter Jaepole, Atlantic City Special Improvement District - Best Public Safety/Private Sector

• Vito Sopmphonphakdy, Harrah’s - Best Casino Games

• Mohammed Rahman, Bally’s - Best Casino Support Personnel

• Eglee Santiago, Tropicana - Best Public Area Personnel

• Karen Gonzalez, Caesars - Best Cashier

• Barbara Morton, Trump Plaza - Best Cashier

• Audy Ramos, Showboat - Best Cashier

• Michelle DiMeo, Harrah’s - Best Cocktail Server

• Don Buesing, Borgata - Best Spa Personnel

• Joseph Kelly - Spirit of Hospitality