Given that Philadelphia has some of the most caring and loyal fans out there, this news is going to hurt: Philadelphia is currently the most depressing pro sports city in the USA.
If you’re an American pro sports city, you’re likely to have one or two major sports league teams that aren’t up to snuff. So what do you do when you’re in the situation that Philadelphia is currently in, in which all of your teams are doing incredibly poorly?
Don’t believe us? Let us count the ways.
NFL: The Philadelphia Eagles were humiliated on Thanksgiving Thursday after losing to the Detroit Lions with an embarrassing 45-14 score. That game was their ticket to the NFC East, which made the loss especially hurt football fans and users of online sportsbooks in the US. Though it’s easy to see why they lost: they were horribly overmatched on both sides of the ball, and some of the Eagles played like they weren’t even trying.
NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers have said for what feels like over a decade now that fans have to be patient, that they’re in the middle of rebuilding their team into something great that the pro sports city will be proud of. Why not just be honest and admit it’s not happening? While there is some good young talent on the team, such as Nerlens Noel, Nik Stauskas, and Jahlil Okafor, General Manager Sam Hinkie has no talent for organizing and putting together a team that actually plays well together. And if the 76ers keep going downhill, Hinkie is going to lose all the young stars that are keeping the threadbare team together—and the fans who like to bet on sports in US watching.
NHL: The Philadelphia Flyers are good guys, and they mean well, but they’re still ranked second-to-last for the Metropolitan Division and for fewest wins in the entire 2015/16 NHL, and are at the bottom of all NHL hockey betting lines. Allison J. of Broad Street Hockey summed up fans’ feelings about the Flyers perfectly: “The Flyers kinda suck, yes. But they are like the sweet, adorable new puppy that pees in your shoes. You love them anyhow.”
MLB: Things are bleak in Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the fewest games of all pro sports city teams this year. They failed to qualify for the 2015 World Series, and given that they’re currently the joke of major league baseball and in the process of a massive team rebuild, it’s looking like they won’t qualify for the 2016 World Series, either.
Given that it’s just one bleak prospect after another for this pro sports city, we hope that things get sunnier in Philadelphia and fast.
Given that Philadelphia has some of the most caring and loyal fans out there, this news is going to hurt: Philadelphia is currently the most depressing pro sports city in the USA.
If you’re an American pro sports city, you’re likely to have one or two major sports league teams that aren’t up to snuff. So what do you do when you’re in the situation that Philadelphia is currently in, in which all of your teams are doing incredibly poorly?
Don’t believe us? Let us count the ways.
NFL: The Philadelphia Eagles were humiliated on Thanksgiving Thursday after losing to the Detroit Lions with an embarrassing 45-14 score. That game was their ticket to the NFC East, which made the loss especially hurt football fans and users of online sportsbooks in the US. Though it’s easy to see why they lost: they were horribly overmatched on both sides of the ball, and some of the Eagles played like they weren’t even trying.
NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers have said for what feels like over a decade now that fans have to be patient, that they’re in the middle of rebuilding their team into something great that the pro sports city will be proud of. Why not just be honest and admit it’s not happening? While there is some good young talent on the team, such as Nerlens Noel, Nik Stauskas, and Jahlil Okafor, General Manager Sam Hinkie has no talent for organizing and putting together a team that actually plays well together. And if the 76ers keep going downhill, Hinkie is going to lose all the young stars that are keeping the threadbare team together—and the fans who like to bet on sports in US watching.
NHL: The Philadelphia Flyers are good guys, and they mean well, but they’re still ranked second-to-last for the Metropolitan Division and for fewest wins in the entire 2015/16 NHL, and are at the bottom of all NHL hockey betting lines. Allison J. of Broad Street Hockey summed up fans’ feelings about the Flyers perfectly: “The Flyers kinda suck, yes. But they are like the sweet, adorable new puppy that pees in your shoes. You love them anyhow.”
MLB: Things are bleak in Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the fewest games of all pro sports city teams this year. They failed to qualify for the 2015 World Series, and given that they’re currently the joke of major league baseball and in the process of a massive team rebuild, it’s looking like they won’t qualify for the 2016 World Series, either.
Given that it’s just one bleak prospect after another for this pro sports city, we hope that things get sunnier in Philadelphia and fast.
Over the past few years, economists and analysts have warned about the “casino saturation” in the north-eastern part of the US. Now authorities and business owners are witnessing the disaster and there’s nothing they can do about it.
With growing competition from other states in the area, New Jersey’s Atlantic City is in a desperate financial situation. There is no way out this time. The only thing left to do is to accept the defeat and close the resort’s unprofitable casinos, one by one. Otherwise, authorities are considering rebranding the city and turning it into a destination that offers visitors more than just casino games.
Let’s take a closer look at what recent gambling news have to say on the subject.
Philly.com: With casinos closing, Atlantic City considers future
About 2,100 employees received 60-day notices the next day, after Caesars Entertainment announced it was closing its Mardi Gras-themed casino, Showboat, by the end of this summer. The bad news comes only a few months after the Atlantic Club also went out of business and Revel is also likely to shutter if its owner doesn’t find a new buyer.
“Atlantic City is undergoing a massive economic transition,” Mayor Don Guardian said at a news conference Friday held at the site where a new nongaming attraction is being built. “We know it is painful for those who are losing their casino jobs.”
Liza Cartmell, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Atlantic City Alliance, told reporters: “Recent developments in Atlantic City are part of the larger picture of excess gaming across the United States that’s leading to painful economic decisions.”
There are simply too many casinos in the country, industry experts say. Over the past ten years, 26 gambling venues opened in the Northeast corridor alone; a dozen of them are located in Pennsylvania and a new one is scheduled to open in Baltimore later in August. The development of the casino industry in the area has put an end to the monopoly enjoyed by Atlantic City for nearly three decades.
ABC News: Atlantic City Casino Shutdown Needed, Analysts Say
The number of casinos in Atlantic City could go down from 12 to 9 by Labor Day, as analysts say the resort has too many gambling venues.
“We know that the oversupply of gaming product is a regional issue, as we’re seeing the effects of the pressure all around Atlantic City,” says Israel Posner, executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton College.
Atlantic City is going through a rough patch and Mayor Don Guardian believes a makeover will be difficult, but necessary. Officials say the time has come for the city transform itself and become a multi-faceted destination, where casino games are just one of the many entertainment options available.
“Although it is sad today, it’s part of the transition that Atlantic City needs to have,” the mayor told reporters. “There is pain as we go through this transition, but it’s critical for Atlantic City to realize we are no longer the monopoly of gaming on the East Coast. If you build more and more casinos and don’t increase the amount of people coming to them, you’re sharing that wealth. We’re just going through a very difficult time.”
Boston Globe: Atlantic City sees our folly of casinos
The US Supreme Court struck down New Jersey’s attempt to legalize sports betting and Atlantic City casinos are going out of business, despite Governor Chris Christie pumping $260 million of his constituents’ money into one of the local casinos.
While Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are considered interlopers who steal customers from the New Jersey resort, the story published in the Boston Globe says all players are “suckers, willing to part with their money for the house, because the house always wins.”
Locals worry about Massachusetts casinos stealing even more business. The market is already oversaturated, they say, and Atlantic City is already competing with Vegas, Connecticut and Philadelphia.
The Guardian: Atlantic City shutters casinos as north-east US builds gambling market
It’s becoming more and more obvious that there are too many casinos in Atlantic City. Competition has caused the Atlantic Club to close its doors, Revel says it will do the same unless owners find a new buyer and Caesars Entertainment is giving up on the Showboat.
During his five years in office, Mayor Don Guardian saw a quarter of the city’s casinos close. He believes this is a sign that Atlantic City needs a makeover, from a popular gambling resort to a multi-faceted destination instead.
Over the past seven years, casino revenue in the city has plunged from $5.2 billion to almost half that amount, reaching just $2.86 billion in 2013. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania surpassed Atlantic City as the country’s second largest casino market after Nevada. And with New Jersey’s new laws allowing locals to play casino games and online poker tournaments, profits soared even more.
All this sounds like bad news, but Fitch Ratings has a different opinion, claiming that “the closure makes financial sense for Caesars and is a positive for the oversupplied Atlantic City market.” According to the expert, Caesars will regain lost customers at its other resorts in the area.
CityLab: Atlantic City Is Becoming the Detroit of Casino Culture
At the beginning of the year, when the media argued that Atlantic City could be going the way of Detroit – which suffered a big shock after being forced to shut down gambling venues – State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Chris Christie both promised they would not let the city “become Detroit”. Now, the resort is facing a wave of casino closings.
Former casino workers are furious over losing their jobs and Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union, told reporters that Caesars’ decision to shut down the Showboat was “a criminal act”, as the venue was still making profit.
To help former employees find new positions within the company, Caesars promised to give them preference for existing roles at the company’s other three Atlantic City venues.
Over the past few years, economists and analysts have warned about the “casino saturation” in the north-eastern part of the US. Now authorities and business owners are witnessing the disaster and there’s nothing they can do about it.
With growing competition from other states in the area, New Jersey’s Atlantic City is in a desperate financial situation. There is no way out this time. The only thing left to do is to accept the defeat and close the resort’s unprofitable casinos, one by one. Otherwise, authorities are considering rebranding the city and turning it into a destination that offers visitors more than just casino games.
Let’s take a closer look at what recent gambling news have to say on the subject.
Philly.com: With casinos closing, Atlantic City considers future
About 2,100 employees received 60-day notices the next day, after Caesars Entertainment announced it was closing its Mardi Gras-themed casino, Showboat, by the end of this summer. The bad news comes only a few months after the Atlantic Club also went out of business and Revel is also likely to shutter if its owner doesn’t find a new buyer.
“Atlantic City is undergoing a massive economic transition,” Mayor Don Guardian said at a news conference Friday held at the site where a new nongaming attraction is being built. “We know it is painful for those who are losing their casino jobs.”
Liza Cartmell, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Atlantic City Alliance, told reporters: “Recent developments in Atlantic City are part of the larger picture of excess gaming across the United States that’s leading to painful economic decisions.”
There are simply too many casinos in the country, industry experts say. Over the past ten years, 26 gambling venues opened in the Northeast corridor alone; a dozen of them are located in Pennsylvania and a new one is scheduled to open in Baltimore later in August. The development of the casino industry in the area has put an end to the monopoly enjoyed by Atlantic City for nearly three decades.
ABC News: Atlantic City Casino Shutdown Needed, Analysts Say
The number of casinos in Atlantic City could go down from 12 to 9 by Labor Day, as analysts say the resort has too many gambling venues.
“We know that the oversupply of gaming product is a regional issue, as we’re seeing the effects of the pressure all around Atlantic City,” says Israel Posner, executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton College.
Atlantic City is going through a rough patch and Mayor Don Guardian believes a makeover will be difficult, but necessary. Officials say the time has come for the city transform itself and become a multi-faceted destination, where casino games are just one of the many entertainment options available.
“Although it is sad today, it’s part of the transition that Atlantic City needs to have,” the mayor told reporters. “There is pain as we go through this transition, but it’s critical for Atlantic City to realize we are no longer the monopoly of gaming on the East Coast. If you build more and more casinos and don’t increase the amount of people coming to them, you’re sharing that wealth. We’re just going through a very difficult time.”
Boston Globe: Atlantic City sees our folly of casinos
The US Supreme Court struck down New Jersey’s attempt to legalize sports betting and Atlantic City casinos are going out of business, despite Governor Chris Christie pumping $260 million of his constituents’ money into one of the local casinos.
While Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are considered interlopers who steal customers from the New Jersey resort, the story published in the Boston Globe says all players are “suckers, willing to part with their money for the house, because the house always wins.”
Locals worry about Massachusetts casinos stealing even more business. The market is already oversaturated, they say, and Atlantic City is already competing with Vegas, Connecticut and Philadelphia.
The Guardian: Atlantic City shutters casinos as north-east US builds gambling market
It’s becoming more and more obvious that there are too many casinos in Atlantic City. Competition has caused the Atlantic Club to close its doors, Revel says it will do the same unless owners find a new buyer and Caesars Entertainment is giving up on the Showboat.
During his five years in office, Mayor Don Guardian saw a quarter of the city’s casinos close. He believes this is a sign that Atlantic City needs a makeover, from a popular gambling resort to a multi-faceted destination instead.
Over the past seven years, casino revenue in the city has plunged from $5.2 billion to almost half that amount, reaching just $2.86 billion in 2013. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania surpassed Atlantic City as the country’s second largest casino market after Nevada. And with New Jersey’s new laws allowing locals to play casino games and online poker tournaments, profits soared even more.
All this sounds like bad news, but Fitch Ratings has a different opinion, claiming that “the closure makes financial sense for Caesars and is a positive for the oversupplied Atlantic City market.” According to the expert, Caesars will regain lost customers at its other resorts in the area.
CityLab: Atlantic City Is Becoming the Detroit of Casino Culture
At the beginning of the year, when the media argued that Atlantic City could be going the way of Detroit – which suffered a big shock after being forced to shut down gambling venues – State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Chris Christie both promised they would not let the city “become Detroit”. Now, the resort is facing a wave of casino closings.
Former casino workers are furious over losing their jobs and Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union, told reporters that Caesars’ decision to shut down the Showboat was “a criminal act”, as the venue was still making profit.
To help former employees find new positions within the company, Caesars promised to give them preference for existing roles at the company’s other three Atlantic City venues.