http://www.philly.com/philly/living...club_looks_to_enhance_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html
Chuck Darrow
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<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet--> Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:01 AM<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
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First casino gentlemen's club looks to enhance AyCee's sex appeal
<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet-->Chuck Darrow
<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet--> Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:01 AM
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/living...e_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html#e5uytT4o4BsrMoXb.99AS ANY fan of "Boardwalk Empire" knows, Atlantic City and sex have always gone hand in, um, hand. But never before has it figured so prominently in the beleaguered resort's entertainment master plan.
As you read this, several adults-only attractions are filling venues of various sizes in three different gambling dens. More to the point, Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly Burlesque and Le Male Burlesque at Revel Casino-Resort, Almost Angels at Trump Taj Mahal and "The Burlesque Show" at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa are thriving despite the town's continuing economic woes.
And later this month (the date is still TBA), adult entertainment in casinos will take a quantum leap when New York-based Scores, arguably the most famous strip-club brand in America, opens a sprawling facility on the second level of Trump Taj Mahal Casino-Resort.
So, what in the name of Hugh Hefner is going on in Vegas-by-the-Sea? According to one industry observer, the town is adding a long-missing hue to its tourism palette.
"Adult entertainment is a prominent part of the entertainment scene in Las Vegas. It is not dominant, but it is part of what makes Vegas successful," reasoned casino analyst Joe Weinert, senior vice president of Linwood, N.J.-based Spectrum Gaming. "Part of the criticism of Atlantic City over the years, rightly or wrongly, is that it is a one-horse town. Now it is being forced to broaden that base. And quality, nonseedy adult entertainment had been a missing flavor in Atlantic City."
Actually, sex in casino marketing hasn't been entirely absent in the past. Borgata famously opened in 2003 with "do not disturb" signs that read "Tied Up," instead of the traditional "Privacy Please." Male revues have come and gone through the years, while Almost Angels is 4 years old, and Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly is in its second year of operation. But this summer's additions of "The Burlesque Show" and, especially, Scores, represent a new emphasis on grown-up offerings that, if successful, likely will influence other Atlantic City gambling dens to jump into the over-21 entertainment pool.
Weinert firmly believes that using sex to lure business is a sound strategy. "I think there is room for it," he said. "Other casino operators will be looking to see if these establishments are successful and if they can add value, both to their bottom line and the city's attractions as a whole."
Also on board is the Atlantic City Alliance, the marketing office operated on behalf of the 12 casinos and charged with promoting the town.
"Atlantic City continues to diversify the entertainment to attract new and repeat customers," said Jeff Guaracino, the alliance's chief strategy officer. "Entertainment aimed at adult audiences [is] expanding in AC and includes live shows, dancers at nightclub venues and at [other] venues. Diverse entertainment options are good for Atlantic City."
There's no question that Bob Gans thinks it's time for AyCee casinos to go all-in on pasties and G-strings. If he didn't, it's doubtful that Scores Holding Co. Inc., of which he is the managing member, would be betting $25 million on the 36,000-square-foot complex on the second level of the Taj adjacent to the pedestrian bridge to Resorts Casino Hotel.
A Scores preview
Scores Atlantic City - the first establishment of its kind inside a U.S. casino - has several distinct spaces, the keystone being the 8,000-square-foot main showroom. The high-tech playpen's signature feature (besides pole-dancing "entertainers," as the company calls them) will be a 160-square-foot LED board that provides a backdrop for the stage and is capable of countless designs and graphic permutations.
There will be state-of-the-art digital "iLights" flashing on the walls and ceiling to provide a sense of animation and visual excitement (as if the dancers won't be enough).
There also are 23 private spaces of varying sizes for those who want a more personal experience with a dancer or dancers. That said, Scores will not be a typical strip club. Full body-on-body lap dancing, the raison d'etre for this type of establishment, is prohibited in casinos by state regulation.
"There will be lap dancing, but there will be no touching," said the avuncular Gans. "If you took the lap dance as the end of the line, this would be the step before that. There will be no nudity, no underage drinking, no sex, no drugs. Everything else is OK."
This restriction isn't a problem for Gans and his minions, as Scores Atlantic City was conceived as something more than a typical gentlemen's bar.
"It's not going to be a 'strip club,' " he offered. "What it is going to be is something for everybody. We have various rooms that have been created for men, men and women, and women."
In addition to the main room, Scores will include:
_ The Spread, a TV-lined sports bar.
_ Black Box Cabaret, a multi-purpose room that can be rented (with or without female entertainers) for business or social events. It also converts into a disco.
_ The Libertine Room, which the Scores folks hope will lure celebrities. It even has its own entrance so the riff-raff needn't see the bold-facers come and go.
_ The Blue Velvet Theater, which will host a male dance revue along the lines of the Chippendale dancers.
There is also a spacious deck overlooking the beach, boardwalk and Steel Pier where smokers and drinkers can congregate.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/living...e_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html#e5uytT4o4BsrMoXb.99
Chuck Darrow
<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet--> Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:01 AM<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all-->
First casino gentlemen's club looks to enhance AyCee's sex appeal
<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet-->Chuck Darrow
<!--googleon: snippet--><!--googleoff: all-->
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: snippet--> Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:01 AM
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/living...e_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html#e5uytT4o4BsrMoXb.99AS ANY fan of "Boardwalk Empire" knows, Atlantic City and sex have always gone hand in, um, hand. But never before has it figured so prominently in the beleaguered resort's entertainment master plan.
As you read this, several adults-only attractions are filling venues of various sizes in three different gambling dens. More to the point, Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly Burlesque and Le Male Burlesque at Revel Casino-Resort, Almost Angels at Trump Taj Mahal and "The Burlesque Show" at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa are thriving despite the town's continuing economic woes.
And later this month (the date is still TBA), adult entertainment in casinos will take a quantum leap when New York-based Scores, arguably the most famous strip-club brand in America, opens a sprawling facility on the second level of Trump Taj Mahal Casino-Resort.
So, what in the name of Hugh Hefner is going on in Vegas-by-the-Sea? According to one industry observer, the town is adding a long-missing hue to its tourism palette.
"Adult entertainment is a prominent part of the entertainment scene in Las Vegas. It is not dominant, but it is part of what makes Vegas successful," reasoned casino analyst Joe Weinert, senior vice president of Linwood, N.J.-based Spectrum Gaming. "Part of the criticism of Atlantic City over the years, rightly or wrongly, is that it is a one-horse town. Now it is being forced to broaden that base. And quality, nonseedy adult entertainment had been a missing flavor in Atlantic City."
Actually, sex in casino marketing hasn't been entirely absent in the past. Borgata famously opened in 2003 with "do not disturb" signs that read "Tied Up," instead of the traditional "Privacy Please." Male revues have come and gone through the years, while Almost Angels is 4 years old, and Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly is in its second year of operation. But this summer's additions of "The Burlesque Show" and, especially, Scores, represent a new emphasis on grown-up offerings that, if successful, likely will influence other Atlantic City gambling dens to jump into the over-21 entertainment pool.
Weinert firmly believes that using sex to lure business is a sound strategy. "I think there is room for it," he said. "Other casino operators will be looking to see if these establishments are successful and if they can add value, both to their bottom line and the city's attractions as a whole."
Also on board is the Atlantic City Alliance, the marketing office operated on behalf of the 12 casinos and charged with promoting the town.
"Atlantic City continues to diversify the entertainment to attract new and repeat customers," said Jeff Guaracino, the alliance's chief strategy officer. "Entertainment aimed at adult audiences [is] expanding in AC and includes live shows, dancers at nightclub venues and at [other] venues. Diverse entertainment options are good for Atlantic City."
There's no question that Bob Gans thinks it's time for AyCee casinos to go all-in on pasties and G-strings. If he didn't, it's doubtful that Scores Holding Co. Inc., of which he is the managing member, would be betting $25 million on the 36,000-square-foot complex on the second level of the Taj adjacent to the pedestrian bridge to Resorts Casino Hotel.
A Scores preview
Scores Atlantic City - the first establishment of its kind inside a U.S. casino - has several distinct spaces, the keystone being the 8,000-square-foot main showroom. The high-tech playpen's signature feature (besides pole-dancing "entertainers," as the company calls them) will be a 160-square-foot LED board that provides a backdrop for the stage and is capable of countless designs and graphic permutations.
There will be state-of-the-art digital "iLights" flashing on the walls and ceiling to provide a sense of animation and visual excitement (as if the dancers won't be enough).
There also are 23 private spaces of varying sizes for those who want a more personal experience with a dancer or dancers. That said, Scores will not be a typical strip club. Full body-on-body lap dancing, the raison d'etre for this type of establishment, is prohibited in casinos by state regulation.
"There will be lap dancing, but there will be no touching," said the avuncular Gans. "If you took the lap dance as the end of the line, this would be the step before that. There will be no nudity, no underage drinking, no sex, no drugs. Everything else is OK."
This restriction isn't a problem for Gans and his minions, as Scores Atlantic City was conceived as something more than a typical gentlemen's bar.
"It's not going to be a 'strip club,' " he offered. "What it is going to be is something for everybody. We have various rooms that have been created for men, men and women, and women."
In addition to the main room, Scores will include:
_ The Spread, a TV-lined sports bar.
_ Black Box Cabaret, a multi-purpose room that can be rented (with or without female entertainers) for business or social events. It also converts into a disco.
_ The Libertine Room, which the Scores folks hope will lure celebrities. It even has its own entrance so the riff-raff needn't see the bold-facers come and go.
_ The Blue Velvet Theater, which will host a male dance revue along the lines of the Chippendale dancers.
There is also a spacious deck overlooking the beach, boardwalk and Steel Pier where smokers and drinkers can congregate.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/living...e_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html#e5uytT4o4BsrMoXb.99
