Lower Rates, Boxing and Drawings : Atlantic City Pushes to Lure Winter Gamblers

When tourists change from bathing suits into wool coats, this resort’s 11 gambling casinos dig deep into their bags of marketing tricks to fill hotel rooms and keep the cash flow steady across the blackjack tables.

Some casinos add a few more quarters and lunch discount coupons to their bus packages. Most reduce weekday room rates and throw in enticements such as a bottle of bubbly. Others push booking conventions during the lean months and run drawings for prizes of cash and cars.

Weekly Boxing Bouts

One gaming hall attracts customers with weekly boxing bouts and monthly wrestling matches.

Their goal is the same. They must persuade people to leave the hearth or to postpone holiday shopping and come to Atlantic City because once they’re here, they’ll probably gamble.

“We think the wrong philosophy is to just shut down and wait for the first crocus,” said Howard Klein, vice president of marketing for Caesars Atlantic City.

The number of visitors to Atlantic City this year will be about 30.2 million, the New Jersey Expressway Authority estimates. That is up from 28.5 million last year, when Atlantic City was the most popular resort destination in the country.

The months of December, January and February are the worst. This year, 640,120 people took buses into Atlantic City in January. In August, nearly 1.2 million did.

Without large increases in the number of visitors, who generally do not spend more than one day gambling here, the casinos are locked in a fight for profitability.

Casino profits in the first half of this year were only $13.6 million, down 73% from the first half of 1984, and four gaming halls lost money, according to the Casino Control Commission.

Gaming industry analysts have said they expect this to be a difficult winter financially for the casinos, making marketing efforts all the more critical.

“We have to keep those doors turning,” said Dennis Gorski, a spokesman for Trump’s Castle Hotel & Casino, which opened in June.

Trump’s Castle is giving away a replica of a vintage Mercedes-Benz sports coupe worth $50,000 and has a two-night room package that includes breakfast in bed, champagne, fruit and discount coupons for all of the facility’s restaurants.

Beginning Dec. 2 at the Claridge Casino Hotel, there will be daily lottery-style drawings for prizes, including up to $50,000 in cash, a Ford Mustang, vacation trips and show tickets.

Offering ‘Comps’

The Tropicana Hotel & Casino continues its wrestling and boxing events throughout the winter. The Tropicana also is collecting tickets for its “Spin to Win” grand prize drawing for $100,000 next March, spokeswoman Virginia McDowell said.

In addition, the Tropicana is offering “comps” such as credit toward hotel rooms and gourmet dinners to low-limit blackjack table players in its “Trop Gold” promotion designed to “make every player feel like a high roller,” McDowell said.

Usually, only big spenders are given “comps.”

And the Tropicana is taking a shot at attracting lunchtime crowds to its showroom with a special holiday spectacular scheduled to open Nov. 29. Most other casinos reduce their entertainment schedules in the winter months.

Caesars, meanwhile, uses telemarketing, direct mail and print advertising to get word of its special events and promotions out to gamblers, Klein said.

Advertising by each casino helps the others by reminding people that Atlantic City’s arms are open, Gorski said.