Atlantic City takes a sexy page from Vegas

If you've been following the Atlantic City story, you know that the East Coast gaming center has taken a big hit from a growing number of competitors, including casinos in Connecticut and lately, Pennsylvania. Derek Stevens, CEO of the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in Vegas, and go-go dancer Krystal Spencer. The casino brought in dancers inside and out to goose business, and now Atlantic City is doing the same. CAPTIONBy Tim Loehrke, USA TODAYIt has tried to go more upscale with fancy resorts such as the Borgata. Then there was talk of making it a more family-friendly destination. Now it's taking a sexy, Vegas-style spin, with more servers in scanty togs and titillating attractions. As Wayne Parry of the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, N.J., reports: "Miss America and her tiara are gone, replaced by lingerie-wearing blackjack dealers, beverage servers in bustiers or fishnets, a million-dollar steakhouse/gentlemen's club and soon a 'Naked Circus.' "Three casinos have bikini beach bars on the sand. Outside the gambling halls, there are a half-dozen strip clubs and a sex swingers/voyeurs club ... Even the famous New York strip club Scores wants to open a branch in a casino." The emphasis on sex is a way to induce hipsters and free-spenders and to stand out on the increasingly crowded casino landscape, many reports say. The USA's second-largest casino market now is modeling itself after Sin City, the Courier-Post says. "In our industry -- the casino and entertainment and hospitality business -- you want to provide things that are pleasing and exciting and fun," Dennis Gomes, co-owner of Resorts Hotel Casino told the Courier-Post. "One of the things that most people find pleasing, exciting and fun is sex." Resorts caused a stir by stuffing its female drink servers into skimpy flapper dresses, which led to lawsuits from older employees who say they were fired because they didn't look fetching enough in the garments. The article also ays the Diving Horse Cabaret and Steakhouse, modeled on upscale Vegas strip establishments, just opened. Badda bing! Next up: a "party pit" gaming area next to the Rumba Lounge at the Tropicana, where sexy dancers and dealers will raise the excitement factor of gaming, as they do at some Vegas casinos. That's due at the Tropicana for Fourth of July, along with a "Naked Circus," an adults-only show in a tent. No, performers won't be naked -- expect pasties and g-strings. Vegas got lots of publicity earlier this spring with a "Naked" pool at the small Artisan Hotel. The name's the draw: No nudity is allowed there. "We've always looked to promote Atlantic City as a sensual destination, and we started to push the envelope a little more," Jeff Vasser, executive director of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Courier-Post. "But you have to balance it. At the end of the day, we are still a community that existed long before it was a casino town. We could never get away with "What Happens Here, Stays Here.' " Or could they? Meanwhile, the article says New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who once talked of Atlantic City as a place prime for more family-friendly attractions, declined to comment. [view link]