 ATLANTIC
CITY - A little "Oprah" with your slots?
Tropicana
Casino and Resort has kicked up the competition for
high rollers by attaching television monitors to each
of the 94 slot machines in its new Crystal Room slot parlor.
Gamblers
who can afford the $1 to $100 wagering minimums are treated
to 34 cable channels, three music channels and movies
on demand.
Plop
down in the fully adjustable seat, raise your feet onto
the built-in footrest, grab the remote, don the complimentary
earphones and enjoy the show on an 8-inch LCD screen.
"This
is for our A-plus customers," said Dennis Gomes,
president of resort operations for Tropicana
parent Aztar Corp.
Adorned
with crystal chandeliers and sconces, the Crystal Room
opened Thanksgiving weekend at a cost of $3 million.
As
luxurious and relaxing as the room might be, Gomes said,
it is foremost a vehicle for Tropicana to make money.
In other words, gamble or get out.
"We'll
watch to see if people aren't playing, but we can do that
with any machine in the building," he said.
It
remains to be seen whether the personal TVs encourage
players to gamble longer or divert players' attention
and result in less gambling.
For
now, the televisions are a drawing card that Tropicana
plans to exploit. Gomes said he is unaware of any casino,
anywhere, that offers slots with TVs.
"That
is the hook. That is the unique feature," said Maureen
Siman, assistant vice president for media services.
TV
slots are the latest in a string of Tropicana hooks that
includes exercise-bicycle slots, chickens that play tic-tac-toe
and gymnasts dangling over the casino floor.
"We
try to set trends, not follow them," Gomes said.
The
Crystal Room opening provides the first glimpse of Tropicana's
integration with its $245 million expansion. The room
opens into Crystal Court, a 34-foot-high rotunda through
which most visitors will pass.
A
walkway featuring shops, paddle fans and rich Old Havana
theming connects the rotunda to The Quarter, the retail,
dining and entertainment complex being built across Pacific
Avenue.
The
scheduled March opening of the expansion project was indefinitely
delayed by the Oct. 30 collapse of an integrated parking
garage.
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