Revel vs Borgata vs CET

The numbers are in for the AC July 2013 casino revenues.
The Borgata clearly came out on top of all of the other casinos in July.

Next highest winner in increasing revenue was Revel.
Revel believes their best month ever is showing a turnaround in their business.  It is a total joke.  First of all, many people lost money there believing they would get it all back but didn't read the fine print that the losses would be paid back in slot play over the course of 20 weeks, meaning they would have to go there once a week for 20 weeks to get the slot play dollar replacement.  Meanwhile, the Borgata had a much higher July revenue partially because people who read the fine print chose to play there.    Many took their generous Borgata offers over to Revel to receive matching offers, doubling their free play. The Revel match play actually helped The Borg, attracting more July visits to AC!  The Borgata is already offering us more generous slot bonuses in September than ever so should continue to see improved revenues as people go to Revel to get their free slot play for their losses.
An extra plus for me is The Borg finally replaced their music soundtrack!  What a relief to hear some decent music instead of annoying noises when playing.

All AC CET casinos had their revenues go down also losing business to The Borg.  There are several reasons why the AC regulars are switching to The Borg from the AC CET empire.  First CET started charging for Diamond lounges a couple of years ago.  Then they raised the Diamond tier by almost 50% this year.   The Borgata upgrades all Diamonds to Black Label and gives free slot play and entrance to their buffet or Amphora Club with the first upgrade.  Comp dollars accumulate much faster at The Borg so earning the $10 comp entrance fee to their buffet and lounge is much faster. Earning those entrance fees enables staying Black Label, making earning Black Label a better alternative to trying to stay Diamond for moderate regular AC gamblers.  I calculated the same slot play earns a Black Label $10 comp at least 2 times faster at The Borg! Cannot even compare the quality of The Borg buffet and lounge with that of the Diamond lounges.  CET's only advantage is having locations outside of AC, especially Vegas.
However, the new Total Rewards Platinum credit card was a great decision.  It enables free parking and no early check-in fees with a free Platinum upgrade plus an easy way to earn CET comp.  Too bad they also offer a Vegas buffet of buffets freebie and no comparable free buffet in AC.  Speaking of buffets, another stupid thing CET did was remove lunchtime hours from Harrah's buffet, making the free buffet for their regular players less accessible on Mondays and Thursdays.   Meanwhile, the nearby Gold Nugget has made their buffet a great alternative for players from nearby Harrahs with lots of buffet promotions and lower prices.  Removing the Wild West Virgina City buffet has made the Ballys-Caesars connected property less attractive for the AC regulars. Revel has remained without a buffet for lunch and dinner.
For Gold players,  CET now charges an early check in fee in addition to their extra $8 a night in fees for comped rooms.  Ironically, Revel has recently decided to raise their comped room fees by an additional $7.  An AC regular can get a comped room at The Borg for $5 a night so why pay $13 at CET or $12 at Revel??  The Borg renovated their Classic roooms last year, making all of their rooms nicer than most CET rooms.  Never did try the comp stay at Revel last summer because we couldn't access their room reservation system either online or by phone.  Also the AT&T mobile service is limited on their property, making it difficult for my husband and I to communicate.  Both their reservation system and the AT&T reception have not improved since their opening.
We prefer to play and eat wherever we are staying. So we eat better and stay in nicer rooms for less fees at The Borg than CET.  Best of all, we win alot more than we ever did at CET!

Here's some of the numbers:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-08-09/nj-casino-revenues-down-3-dot-6-percent-in-july

ETA:
an article in the Newark Star-Ledger states the Borgata's Executive VP Joe Lupo said the casino profited from displeasure with Revel's slot promotion.

Time for Another AC Rant LOL

About the only thing that could get me into Ballys lately to play has been their earn a free buffet promotion, especially since they removed the slot machines from the Claridge and most of their Wild West casinos. Not only has that promotion ended as of June but the buffet is closing completely in mid-June with the summer season just beginning! This buffet even on its worse days was better than most others that were higher priced.
The WW buffet always had a line because of its promotions, price and quality so it was obviously the most popular buffet in AC.
An ignorant reporter implied the WW buffet closing was a business decision similar to that of Revel's not to have a buffet because of less day trippers to AC. Well people aren't flocking to Revel to eat and play as expected and now, way less will be flocking to Ballys.

With just a 2 week warning, CET (Caesars, Harrahs, Ballys and Showboat) started charging for their Diamond Lounges a year ago, promising improved food. Diamond Lounge attendance greatly dropped immediately. Their quality is even worse now and the Diamond Lounges have become ghost towns. Wonder if they ever bothered to check how many Diamond players they have in 2012 compared to 2011. Since many players were close to Diamond when the lounges started charging in 2011, 2013 will have even less Diamond card holders than 2012. Once a regular AC CET Diamond player switches their play to The Borgata and sees how much quicker the comp dollars accrue while earning superior meals at both the buffet and Amphora Lounge, they will not bother to pursue CET Diamond status anymore.
The Borgata is brilliant in allowing player upgrades and is obviously going to remain the most profitable casino resort in AC. Cannot trust business decisions made by either CET or Revel but thankfully, The Borgata continues to reward its players, year after year.

AC and UK Toughmudder 2012

We just spent a couple of days in AC with beautiful weather. Walked over 40,000 paces while our poor son in London did his first (and maybe last?) Tough Mudder. Really don't have any details other than a sunburnt bald head and a swollen ankle. LOL
He really looks happy in most of the photos instead of in pain.
More photos are at the bottom.


Revel's soft opening seems like a bust and as usual, the only consistently successful casino in AC has been The Borgata.
Anywho I was shocked at how empty Harrahs was on Thursday and Friday. Friday evening there is usually a line at the Diamond Lounge but it was so empty it almost looked closed. Guess alot of Diamonds didn't bother staying Diamond this year like us.

Almost have used all of the $25 coupons that came with the CET Platinum book, mostly for nice breakfasts. Food highlights were a delicious char-broiled pork and egg sandwich at Showboat's Mansion which is closing. Also the wonderful Veggie Benedict at Caesar's Cafe Roma. Definitely, get their Veggie Benedict instead of their horrible breakfast buffet!
Bally's Wild West dinner buffet only cost us $12 in losses to get the free buffet coupons for Friday night (10 points each) and the line wasn't bad. Maybe 15 minutes tops but we ate early just before 5PM (they open at 3PM on Fridays). Pretty decent steak and brisket. Lima Bean soup was really good too. They even had my favorite oreo pie! Dinner buffet is superior to the lunch buffet and the play 10 points for a free buffet is good for either buffet, seven days a week.
Harrahs Cafe Cappuccino has been replaced with an Italian cafe like the one in Caesar's lobby. Alittle overpriced but interesting choices. Seems to be an improvement except doesn't accept the coupons. Otherwise, Harrahs food options have been greatly compromised with the loss of Reflections and no more breakfast buffets. Only a brunch buffet now on both Saturday and Sunday. Sorry but not paying over $50 comp for breakfast when The Borgata is $10 comp each and accumulates twice as quickly. Haven't a clue how to use the last Harrahs $25 coupon. Maybe they will send us a free buffet coupon in May or June because we have stayed and played there once a month or so.

ETA: Son's ToughMudder other photos

Revel Resort AC, mostly expect Rants

A new casino resort is coming to AC this Spring called *Revel*, thanks to our BIGoted Governor's financial support which makes me feel less like supporting Revel's business.
At first, it sounded great because they were going to be smoke free.
However, their latest announcements, leave me wondering about their positive influence on AC.

Many older regular AC patrons like us lost a home with CET after their lack of enforcing a smoking ban, increased catering to a younger and rowdier crowd at night, decreased comped offers, and suddenly charging for Diamond Lounges admission while food quality continued to diminish. Some, like us, found a new home at The Borgata where upgrading to Black Label became the best of the CET Diamond benefits. Others have been waiting for the opening of the Revel, mostly because of its boardwalk location. A boardwalk location without access to and from the boardwalk? They think people will be satisfied with the view from the windows but on a nice day, how about fresh air and sunshine? Also it will be uncomfortable walking to and from wherever the entrance will be from the boardwalk because the neighborhood isn't exactly tourist friendly. Guess it will help the jitney profits. Otherwise, Revel will have the same disadvantage as The Borgata being just an AC brand instead of a national one like CET.

OK no smoking sounds good but no buffet sounds bad to AC regulars. Being Black Label, we love being able to eat at The Borgata buffet for just $10 of comp each for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Comp dollars accumulate much quicker at The Borgata than at CET casinos. For dinner, we can eat at The Amphora Lounge instead for a different ambiance. Diamond players cannot eat at a Diamond Lounge until 2PM most days and the food quality does not even come close to Borgata's.

The only entertainment announced initially by the Revel has been a Burlesque club. AC already had plenty of hookers in their casinos at night and a Burlesque Club may be offering even more business for them. More recently, they are presenting a day time pool drinking and bikini club atmosphere. Bad enough, The Pool at Harrahs goes this route at night. Revel may be finding drunk young adults partying all day now. Hopefully, they will give them rooms away from other people trying to sleep at night. Oh and they are going to have barely clad girls hanging from the ceiling over gambling tables?? Way to keep middle aged women playing slots while their husbands watch these gals.

I am not seeing much for the older AC regulars in their lineup except the complete smoking ban which will hopefully be upheld. The Borgata cannot even enforce the partial ban and the smokers seem to know it and abuse it more and more. In a way, I am glad that what Revel seems to be promising will not tempt us away from The Borgata but I was hoping that they would cause enough of a threat to keep The Borgata as generous as it has been. After seeing CET throw away its AC Diamond players, I worry that one day The Borgata will do likewise without any competition. Revel's timing would have been perfect to provide a home base for the disgruntled Diamond players but they are refusing to have a tiered player's card. Maybe the people who changed the AC CET Diamond Lounge policies found employment with Revel.

Morgan Stanley let their first billion go, not to risk another billion to complete the project. Wish I could buy insurance for when The Revel bonds become worthless like some had bought mortgage insurance before the real estate and bank crash, even without having a specific mortgage to insure. There is probably core of investors waiting for The Revel to go bankrupt so they could buy it really cheap.
Somebody will get rich off this fiasco but not the NJ taxpayers.

Casino Win/Loss Statements

Well the 2011 Win/Loss statements are available from The Borgata and the AC Total Rewards CET casinos (Harrahs, Showboat, Ballys, Caesars) and the differences from previous years is extraordinary. Our losses have been cut by 66%! Yup, we are losing only 1/3 of what we used to lose and still earning another year of Black Label status at The Borgata! Much of the difference comes from the generous bonus slot dollars at The Borgata plus much looser slots.

For almost the same amount of losses at both CET and The Borgata, DH achieved Black Label at The Borgata and Platinum at CET. Since switching most of our play from CET to The Borgata, we have saved thousands of dollars. CET's decision to charge for their Diamond Lounges just about paid for our new car. When considering what we are saving on food and nightly room taxes/fees, the switch covers our gas and tolls as well. Thank you CET for your worse business decision which turned into our best Total Rewards benefit.
OK I do play DH's card at The Borgata but I used to play his CET card too. I play the slot machines while DH prefers RaceTrack simultcast betting.
For my play on my cards which showed almost identical losses at CET and The Borgata, I get no offers at CET but am still offered weekly bonus downloads and comped rooms at The Borgata. Cannot compare how much better we have been eating at The Borgata. Plus we have always been offered comped summer rooms at The Borgata even when not Black Label while CET always greatly limited summer comped rooms, even when we were both Diamond??
So it doesn't matter whether one is
CET Platinum and Borgata Red Label like me
or CET Diamond and Borgata Black Label like DH,
when comparing food quality, expenses, losses, and comps
The Borgata does it much better.
Any regular recreational AC gambler really needs to stop drinking the CET kool aid and wake up and smell the coffee at The Borgata. It tastes much better and costs way less.

OK I do have to hear the crappy music being played in the casino at The Borgata but there is always hope that one day somebody with some authority will actually listen and hear what their patrons' ears have to tolerate.

ETA: Still cannot believe how our gambling dollars last 5 times longer at The Borgata! Anyone who plays penny slots regularly at Harrahs instead of The Borgata really needs a reality check.

MUVE Speedbody Chiball CS

Very nice combination this morning.

First I warmed up on the bungee to MUVE.

Then I did Contender's Club Speedbody's Blast while wearing the Shadowboxer belt.

Next a Caribbean Workout Chiball workout

Finished with mostly a Classical Stretch mat workout which was ok but will not repeat unless my hip seems to have liked it as much as her standing stuff. Cannot tell yet.

Unfortunately, I saw two more straps fraying badly on my YogFlex when doing Speedbody so finally put it out of its misery before injuring myself. It is outside waiting for today's garbage pickup. I did save its legs because interchangeable with the smaller Bodyburner's legs.

CET (Caesars Entertainment) really needs to clean house and find out who is messing up their Total Rewards marketing process. We seemed to be the last in NJ to receive the Diamond Lounge passes that were a part of DH's online offers. Meanwhile after posting about not getting them yet, a few long term Diamond players posted that they weren't even aware of DL passes/coupons! Higher tiered Diamonds and Seven Stars all get these passes when they aren't even needed since they (and a guest) already enter free. So CET is wasting money sending folks these passes who do not need them and not sending them to customers who are already unhappy with the admission charges to the DLS. Some of the customers who never received the passes may even have an error in their mail code so not receiving any offers at all, like what happened to me for over a year before it got resolved. This mailing error seems to happen often.

ETA: Just saw that Netflix has already dropped their Quikster plan and that Starz will be bringing their instant content to Dish/Blockbusters. I'm, personally, rooting for Blockbusters to survive cuz of our nearby store and their new promotions and Netflix's lack of concern about their customers. Suddenly splitting Netflix's instant watch and dvds by mail plans and raising their prices were bad business decisions just as CET's suddenly charging $10 comp for their Diamond lounges. Alienating customers is bad business and these customers need to take their business elsewhere.

Revel Resort, The future of Atlantic City?

In May 2012, The Revel will finally be open for business. Meanwhile CET has decimated their AC business after being the only real game in town other than The Borgata.

The only advantage CET had over The Borgata was its nonAC properties and 4 different properties in AC all being a part of the same Total Rewards system. Revel will have the same disadvantage as The Borgata in being a single AC only property. Cannot imagine gamblers from all over flocking consistently to the Revel as they do to CET properties, especially in Vegas. Oh Revel will be very busy its first summer as was the Trump's Taj when it first opened BUT will it make the generous offers necessary to attract gamblers the rest of the year?

There is no guarantee that the Revel marketing will be able to compete with The Borgata as far as comps for the consistent AC gambler. Who expected CET in AC to make so many poor business decisions within the year of The Revel's opening? Guess Revel cannot make as many bad decisions as CET but can they make as many good decisions as The Borgata? Only time will tell. Being a NJ taxpayer and owning 20% of the Revel's revenues, I sure hope the Revel is a huge success. However, unfortunately, I believe The Borgata will be the last AC casino still standing when the duel is over and the dust settles. Too bad our governor didn't invest in our racetracks instead and convert them to racinos which seem to be doing incredible business in PA, DE, etc. Heck even the NJ off track betting parlours called Favorites have been a huge success without slot machines!

ETA: Sadly just heard another bad decision by CET. Sunday is the last day for Harrahs Reflections restaurant. Breakfast will become available at their buffet which is overpriced or Bill's Burgers. Think we have spent more comp at Reflections than any other CET restaurant so we will miss it, even though most of our comp is gone. At the same time, I have heard complaints of way less comped buffet offers from folks who gamble alot more than we do. Looks like we will pretty much be eating all of our meals at The Borgata. About the only decent lunch option for cash at Harrahs will be McCormicks $10 lunch menu.

Sammy D's which took Reflections place doesn't seem to be doing nearly as much business as Reflections did. Food is ok with huge portions but those portions cost 200% more than smaller portions could have charged. An average breakfast for two, including juice and coffee could cost close to $50!

CET is better than The Borgata in somethings!

Finally found some things CET does better than The Borgata!

When a CET slot machine malfunctions, you can request timely help if the cardreader is working properly. Haven't a clue how The Borgata responds to a malfunction cuz my husband had to find a security guard to get a slot attendant the two times it happened to me.

If you are alone, you are SOL.

Also all play is counted at CET but comp dollars have a $5 daily minimum at The Borgata to accumulate. If you play less than the $5, the dollars still get added to your annual tier status but not to your comp dollar balance. It takes the equivalent of 100 CET tier credits to earn the $5 minimum at The Borgata.

Now let me count the ways that The Borgata surpasses CET:

The Borgata comped us rooms in the summer while CET left us out in the cold, .....um heat.

The comped rooms at the Borgata are $8 a night cheaper than CET's taxes and fees.

Comp dollars accumulate twice as fast at TheBorgata.

Borgata Black Label upgrades are given freely to CET Diamond cardholders.

Black Label members and a guest cost $10 in comp each for either The Buffet or the Amphora lounge. The Buffet is opened for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner daily while Diamond lounges do not open till 2pm on weekdays and noon on weekends. The Amphora lounge is opened till 10PM when the Diamond lounge closes at 7:30PM on weekdays.

The food at The Borgata is far superior to the Diamond lounges.

The Borgata gives several generous bonus slot downloads a month in addition to an earned slot download when more than $10 comp is earned in a gambling day playing slot machines (like CET you have to play twice as much on poker slot machines for the comp). The earned slot dollars are half the amount of the comp dollar so you get $5 slot download if you earn $10 comp.

Black Label is earned by getting 1000 comp dollars within a year after an upgrade or the equivalent of 20,000 CET tier credits. Now that Harrahs charges for Diamond admittance if you have less than 25,000 tier credits in a calendar year, this previous higher Black Label cutoff is a bargain if you are a couple and combine your play on one card like many couples will have to do to achieve the new higher Diamond status. Best part is you earn the comp dollars twice as fast at The Borgata, have more extended hours for eating, better food and more comped rooms with cheaper fees. It's an easy decision if you are a couple who goes to Atlantic City frequently like us.

The Black Label upgrade is good for a full year from the day you upgrade so you do not have till just the end of December of the current calendar year to earn your next year. You can pick your one year anniversary month yourself by upgrading whenever you choose. The first upgrade gets you a $100 slot download, $20 in comp and a free room. If you upgrade again further down the road, you do not get these extras again, just Black Label status for the whole year, starting from the day you upgrade.

One other thing, CET marketing makes alot of mistakes, accidentally blocking offers both in snail mail and online and in addition, your offers may never get to you if the postal system doesn't deliver it properly. We have seen free buffet offers online and never received the coupons.

All of my offers including cashback were blocked for a whole year right in the middle of several consecutive Diamond years!

ETA: Sad but true, The Borgata failed to correctly enter a bonus download for DH one week in January. Their Customer Care claims it is based on play ..... NOT! DH's card has 15 times the play as mine and I am being offered the bonus download the 2 days they fouled up for him! Thankfully, his bonus downloads seem to be properly entered all of the other weeks before and after so just a one time glitch. Think his invitation to a slot tournament contributed to the mistake.

ETA: Found another thing CET does better. The tunes they play are usually oldies that I love. The Borgata plays annoying repetitive instrumentals that sound like elementary school bands practicing, over and over and over again, day after day after day. I pity their employees.

Sunday through Weds AC CET & Borgata trip

Walk

Eat

Push several penny slot buttons

and start the cycle all over again.

and that was my last few days :)

ETA:

Since I had cutback on gambling at the CET Total Rewards casinos, choosing to play mostly at The Borgata, we seem to always come home with more $$! This trip again proved to me how much looser the slots are at The Borgata. As aggravating as the new $10 comp charge is for the Diamond lounges, I am grateful that CET implemented it before I wasted more $$ going for Diamond this year. The person who made the decision to charge for Diamond lounges must be a Borgata employee! The Borgata should name him employee of the year. Heck, players should nominate him as even the CET Employee of the year because he will be saving recreational gambling couples alot of money :)

Why Blog about AC Diamond Lounges?

Most people who know me online know I have 3 passions:

The Internet, exercise and Atlantic City.

These passions often overlap.

All bring me physical activity, mental stimulation, stress reduction, and entertainment.

Well, one of those passions took a huge hit this past week after the CET Total Rewards Diamond lounges made the sudden decision to start charging for admittance.

True, I have been shifting most of my play from the CET Total Rewards casinos to The Borgata since CET had blocked most of my offers accidentally for a year and started me on the road towards questioning whether I should stay Diamond while my husband did. Now even my husband will not pursue Diamond status anymore since he, too, much prefers The Borgata.

The full damage this sudden CET change has made is irreparable.

They have ruined their AC Diamond branding and reputation irreversibly.

Other casinos would be wise to offer upgrades like The Borgata to give these previously loyal players a new home base. However, even without an upgrade, as previous AC Diamond players investigate the comps at other casinos in AC and other states, they may find CET released them from a bondage and has set them free to enjoy much more variety in perks and play while risking way less $$.

CET charge for Diamond Lounges in AC

The CET Total Rewards hotels in AC have committed financial suicide.

Whoever was the statistical analyst who came up with this plan to suddenly charge for Diamond Lounge admittance in AC missed one very important statistic:

The majority of people who frequented the Diamond lounges and now have to pay to enter were couples. Couples who both gambled moderately.

So for almost every Diamond member they have alienated, they have alienated a companion as well. Their more compulsive gamblers will still be eating and drinking free but the loyal couples who have spent most of their leisure dollars at CET will be gone.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The smug higher tiered players will see their perks disappearing as well as the sinking ship goes down soon after the summer season.

Here are just a few predictions of changes to come:

The Diamond Lounges will restrict their hours more, some may even close a whole day or two or more midweek as they already do in December,

CET hotels will offer less free buffet coupons, comped rooms, etc. as their bottomline struggles with less incoming cash.

Platinum players and guests may be invited to the clubs for $10 comp, even cash to eat the food before it is tossed into the garbage so their servers can earn some tips.

Reversing this irreparable damage to their AC brand will never restore the blindless faith of their cheated Diamond players and companions because our eyes have been opened and will stay opened.

ETA: Another nice enhancement has been food poisoning!

Either it was the warm shrimp cocktail or the heated food that isn't being kept hot enough with the slow turnaround.

Atlantic City Caesars Total Rewards Rant

Just wanted to write about recent changes in Atlantic City casino policy which will greatly affect the financial future of the casinos involved. Most of our previous gambling was done within the walls of the Caesars' Total Rewards casinos which are Caesars, Ballys, Harrahs and Showboat. We go so often that even at a slow rate of gambling playing the minimum on penny slots, both my husband and I would reach the Diamond tier. Part of the rewards for reaching this tier was a free admittance to their Diamond lounges for food and drink. We aren't drinkers so really didn't benefit from what is probably the more expensive part of the offer.

Then we started playing and staying more and more at The Borgata after being upgraded to their Black Label tier. The Borgata's comp rooms cost $5 a night in taxes while the Total Rewards rooms $13. That $8 difference a night doesn't sound like much but adds up over the course of a year since we spend so many nights a month in AC. The Borgata offered us rooms during the summers while Total Rewards got stingier and stingier. For $10 of comp, we could either go to The Borgata buffet or their Amphora Lounge which was their version of a Diamond Lounge. Both the buffet and lounge at The Borgata have much better food than the 4 buffets and 4 lounges at Total Rewards. The slot machines also seemed looser and comp dollars accumulated faster at The Borgata. So this past year I settle for Platinum at Total Rewards while my husband still went Diamond.

We get a mailing yesterday that in less than a week, the Diamond lounges will start charging $10 of comp for each admission to their lounges in exchange for supposedly better food. The Diamond lounges were empty most weekdays before and will be now even emptier. How can you make a change like that with so little warning??? I have much more comp dollars than my husband and cannot even use them for the lounges because I am not Diamond! To add insult to injury, I can earn a free buffet at Ballys just playing an hour while Diamond players cannot!!! Whoever is determining these policies at Total Rewards needs to understand what brings consistent gamblers into their casinos and what doesn't. Oh and then there was the whole year my mailings were block so I got absolutely no offers or cashbacks, even though I was Diamond the year before, during and after!

As unfair as this change of policy is, it is a blessing because we can both finally give up the goal of either of us going Diamond anymore and new casinos are opening up that may share our action with The Borgata. The downside is, there will be an exodus to The Borgata, making their buffet and lounge lines very long this summer.