Ever since the Atlantic City casino industry started in 1978, the city and its casinos were unsure of how to market it. Did they want to recreate the vibe of Las Vegas, creating a Sin City of the East? Or did they want to go the other direction and be a family-friendly gambling destination, in the hopes of bringing in more non-gambling tourism from families.

In the beginning, the city opted more toward family-friendly casinos. The resorts were designed to be classy and there was much less flesh on display than in Vegas. Now, however, Atlantic City is making a clear shift toward sex appeal. The industry has been struggling for years and casinos are looking for more business. Sex sells. Dennis Gomes, co-owner of Resorts Casino, said that in the casino industry “you want to provide things that are pleasing and exciting and fun.” Well, one of the things that people find the most “pleasing, exciting and fun is sex.”

Gomes is putting his money where his mouth is. Resorts Casino recently made headlines when they changed the uniform for cocktail waitresses to a sexy flapper outfit and fired any waitresses who didn’t look good enough wearing them. The casino will also soon have a “naked circus” in the parking lot, though to comply with the law the performers cannot be totally naked. Resorts Casino also brought a Vegas-style stage show to the casino, complete with risqué costumes and controversial advertising.

Resorts Casino isn’t the only Atlantic City casinos looking to sex appeal to bring in customers. The Tropicana Casino has created a party pit where the blackjack and roulette dealers will wear revealing bustiers. Trump Plaza recently changed its dealer uniforms, having them now wear lingerie. A popular New York strip club, Scores, wants to put a new location in the Trump Taj Mahal Casino.

Though Atlantic City is definitely turning to a sexier, more risqué business model to bring in customers, some say it will never become just like Vegas. Jeff Vasser, the executive director of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Burea, said that they have always pushed Atlantic City as a “sensual destination.” However, he also said that “at the end of the day, we are still a community that existed long before it was a casino town. We could never get away with ‘What Happens Here Stays Here.’”

Tags: Atlantic City casinos, sexy Atlantic City

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