Atlantic City is in the midst of a seven-year revenue decline caused by the sluggish economy and competition from casinos in surrounding states, particularly Pennsylvania. Wayne Schaffel, a casino analyst and public relations consultant, argued that the huge giveaways are simply a sign of how desperate the casinos have become in a slumping market. There are some very aggressive promotions in a season when you usually sit back and let customers walk through the door,'' Gros told The Press of Atlantic City. Marketing wars are nothing new to Atlantic City during the slower months, but this time around the fight is taking place during the summer, when casinos normally don't have to work as hard for business. Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine, said a casino marketing war has broken out in a fierce battle for customers. The car giveaways, cheap buffets and slot bonuses that have been a staple of casino promotions in the past are being overshadowed by new mega-sweepstakes amounting to millions of dollars in prizes. This summer, the casinos are being quite generous with their promotional offers _ commonly known as comps'' _ to draw customers to Atlantic City. Guarantees that no one loses at the slot machines.
