The likes of Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay are launching new restaurants in and outside the casinos, and a new shopping pier along the boardwalk will offer top designer stores such as Tiffany and Louis Vuitton. 'We don't need to ignore gambling, just do a better job of explaining that you can visit south Jersey and never step inside a casino if you don't want to.' 'I don't see it as an either/or thing,' says Kevin McCarty, marketing head for the Renault Winery and Vineyard Golf Course in nearby Egg Harbor. Since the Borgata opened for business, Harrah's and the Tropicana have renovated and expanded.
The opening of the Borgata casino a couple of years ago was the first step and now there is momentum in that direction.' 'If you're not moving forward, you're falling behind. 'Much as Las Vegas has become more than just a gambling destination, Atlantic City has to take a similar path,' American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf says.
Pennsylvania is gearing up to spread some 61,000 one-armed bandits across the Keystone State. Delaware has added slot machines to it's racetracks. New Yorkers can hit Turning Stone or Foxwoods. But these days East Coast gamers have multiple alternatives to a trek west. A quarter-century or so ago, when Atlantic City's casinos were just opening their doors, the closest (legit) competition was a world away in the Nevada desert.