Borgata Beer Garden, Borgata Eats, casino, Dining, Food, gambling, Gaming, hotel, resort, Restaurants, Retail, savor borgata, slot machines, slots, The Water Club Mar 06 Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Borgata to Play The Wizard of Oz Emerald City. Whether you are looking to play classic slot games, video slot games or jump into your favorite movie or TV show with themed gaming, Borgata caters to every type of slot player. Enjoy excellent guest service and the slot options in Atlantic City 24 hours a day every day of the year at Borgata!
Meets all the requirements to make it a favorite slot club
by Jeffrey Compton
I am usually loath to answer the question “What is your favorite slot club?” However, I have no problem answering the question “What is your favorite slot club in Atlantic City?” because I do have a clear choice—the My Borgata Rewards Club at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
How do I come to this decision? While I will readily admit that picking any type of favorite is highly subjective, when I am choosing or rating a players club I ask myself several questions and (hopefully) base that decision on the answers. And how I chose My Borgata is an excellent opportunity to show how I go through the process of picking a favorite club.
How do I feel about the overall property?
If I am going to spend time and earn comp dollars it helps that I like all aspects of the property—especially those parts where I plan to spend those comp dollars.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is not only the newest hotel casino in Atlantic City, it is the most elegant and well-designed. As you walk through the main doors, you get a feeling that you are someplace special and not just in another casino. Their customer service standards (which I measure by how many people smile and say hello to me—and how fast it takes to get a drink at the machine) are excellent.
I am a commuter, so I cannot rate their hotel rooms (though friends of mine tell me that they are quite nice) nor can I comment on the spa amenities. However, the restaurant selection, including the buffet (which has the best wine selection and service I have ever seen in a buffet) is very high-quality.
Another important facet of the property is the entertainment. Not only is the Borgata’s high-quality, quite a bit of it is geared to boomers (Diana Ross, Harry Connick Jr., The Who).
The only downside? Borgata does not participate in any bus programs and is not located in walking distance from any other Atlantic City casino. If you have a car, it can be easier to get to the property than some of the others, but for us non-drivers, it can be a bit of a hassle.
Do I like the games on the casino floor?
Both Bob Dancer and I agree that Borgata’s video poker selection, especially in the higher denominations, is the best in Atlantic City. I have no problem finding a $2 Jacks or Better game.
My lower-denom video poker players, as well as my slot-playing friends, tell me that the Borgata has a good selection of machines and more importantly, they keep them up-to-date and maintained. Whatever denomination of machine you do play, it is easy to find your game using the lighted signs throughout the floor.
Do I find the club easy-to-work-with?
If you like user-friendly clubs that tell you exactly what it takes to earn a point, comp dollar or whatever, plus how many comp dollars you have and what you can do with them, you will not like Atlantic City. Until very recently, most of the card readers said only “Accepted” when you inserted your card and forget about trying to find out what is required to move up to the higher ranks of the card.
The reason, at least in my opinion, that this is true is the unique nature of the Atlantic City market. Most of the customers are local (they go home at the end of the day), but many of them travel a total of 100 miles (both ways) to get there and thus have to be extra-enticed to come back. When you take everything into account (especially direct mail) Atlantic City casino player reward programs are very generous, but in order to remain competitive, the casinos have to build as much flexibility into their benefit structure as possible. They cannot be bound to the type of fixed slot club point structure found in Las Vegas (and elsewhere).
My Borgata awards (in a very open way) both comp dollars and slot dollars. You do not know exactly how much play is required to earn either one (except through experience and good record keeping) but you do know how much of both are in your account. Comp dollars can easily (sometime too easily) be spent immediately anywhere on the property just by giving your card to the appropriate buffet, restaurant, spa or shop cashier.
You cannot spend your slot dollars until your next visit, but you can find out the amount waiting for you anytime you want by going to the My Borgata website. It’s nice to know that when I arrive, I can insert my card, press a few buttons and get $50 to start playing.
I also like the My Borgata booth. It’s well located (a short walk from the main entrance) and there is usually a very short wait. (The fact that My Borgata is so well automated, thus requiring few reasons to visit the booth, helps a lot.)
Is the reward system generous and (very important) varied?
When I add in the basic benefits (discussed above), the direct mail (discussed below) combined with the choices available to spend comps dollar on, I am happy with what My Borgata gives me for my play. Plus, with a little probing (like reading the material) I see there are other benefits available including “My Borgata Vacations.”
Because of the casino’s unique ownership (MGM Mirage and Boyd Gaming) My Borgata members are able to redeem their comp dollars for rooms at nine Las Vegas casinos (including Main Street Station, Sam’s Town, New York New York and the Bellagio) as well as hotel casinos in Biloxi, Tunica, Detroit, and Peoria.
Is the tier structure of the club fair?
Personal bias here—I prefer a simple two or three tier player card structure. The basic card, and then one or two advanced tiers. When I see signs saying Topaz members to the right, Opal members to the left, Diamond Members down the middle while Gold members wait until they are called, I frequently want to turn around and walk out. Also, I do not like it rubbed continually in my face that I am not a highest-level possible member.
The My Borgata Club has three tiers. The basic level is Red Label with the next tier named appropriately (thank you Johnnie Walker) Black Label. When you first visit the casino or just the website, you will think that these are the only two tiers available. There is however a third tier called Titanium for true high rollers.
How do you become a Black Label member? According to clearly written My Borgata literature, a member goes from Red Label to Black Label automatically when they earn 1,000 comp dollars in one year and is renewed automatically if they maintain that level of play. So while I do not know how much exact play is required to get there, I can probably figure it out after a couple of trips.
What rewards do Black Label members receive? Free parking (including valet), use of priority lines at the check-in and restaurants, invitation to special Black Label events, the Borgata Buffet for only $10 comp dollars and use of the special Amphora Lounge (which has a small but well-presented buffet and an open bar).
Since my play does not come close to Titanium level requirements (about 5,000 to10,000 comps dollar per year) I cannot tell you what the benefits are. However, I did once stick my head in their private lounge (Tesoro) and it was quite impressive. But what I really like is the philosophy of the top tier —the Borgata takes care of their big players, but without making everyone else feel like the great unwashed.
Is their direct mail competitive?
Atlantic City invented casino direct mail and the Borgata is no slouch in this area. Once a month I get a specialized color brochure detailing bonus slot, room and entertainment offers, plus filling me in on their latest promotions. It is easy and fun to read, and easy to store until needed. Plus I will probably get a postcard about a special promotion or an invitation to a special event.
What I won’t get through is piece after piece after piece of mail (three out of every five days a week) telling me something about the casino I do not care to know. I like that, my postman likes that and Al Gore probably appreciates it too.
So in a line: I like the Borgata, I like their games, I understand their club and I like the benefits I receive, which is why I can say that My Borgata is my favorite slot club in Atlantic City.
When it comes to determining the Atlantic City casino with the best slots, there is really only one statistic that matters: return to player rate (RTP).
For games in a casino, the odds of winning are expressed in RTP.
- Essentially, RTP is the percentage of money bet on a game that the game will ultimately pay back to players.
- If a game has a 90 percent RTP, for every $100 bet on it, a player should expect to win back $90.
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However, RTP indicates the longterm performance of a game. This means it may take more than $100 in bets for the game to pay back that $90. Nothing is guaranteed, particularly in the short term, and a player may not ever see a slot’s true RTP realized before they run out of money playing it.
That said, RTP remains the best indicator of which casino has the loosest, and therefore best slots.
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Atlantic City casino slots: Always look for RTP
According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s Atlantic City Casino Industry Casino Win Data For Calendar Year 2017 document, slots at the seven Atlantic City casinos operating last year had an overall average of 92.1 percent RTP. It’s no wonder slots are so popular.
The average RTP is actually much lower for the penny slots that appear to be the busiest in most Atlantic City casinos.
In fact, the one cent and two cent slots at Atlantic City casinos had an average of 88.7 percent RTP in 2017. The penny slots at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa were the best among them at 89.8 percent RTP. However, Borgata’s overall average RTP among slots of all denominations was 91.89 percent, below the industry average and far from the best in the business.
High roller slots pay much better across the board. The best $25 slots can be found at Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, where they had a 94.4 percent RTP last year. The Atlantic City average for $25 slots in 2017 was 92.5 percent RTP.
For $100 slots, Resorts Casino Hotel and Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City posted 94.1 and 94.2 percent RTP respectively last year. Numbers that were well above the 91.7 percent RTP industry average for $100 slots.
The loosest slots among the thousands at Atlantic City casinos in 2017 were actually the five-cent slot machines at Tropicana. These slots posted a 95.2 percent RTP on their way to becoming one of Atlantic City’s best bets last year.
Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City
Plus, they helped Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City post an overall average of 92.59 percent RTP on slots of all denominations, making the Trop the Atlantic City casino with the loosest and best slots.
Here’s a look at the average RTP on slots of all denominations for all seven Atlantic City casinos:
- Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City: 92.59 percent
- Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino: 92.24 percent
- Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino: 92.23 percent
- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa: 91.89 percent
- Resorts Casino Hotel: 91.82 percent
- Golden Nugget Atlantic City: 91.66 percent
- Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City: 91.44 percent
Slots at The Trop
One of the oldest and most storied casino properties in Atlantic City, the Tropicana currently boasts three floors of casino gaming with more than 3,000 slot machines and 135 table games. Resort amenities also include more than 2,000 hotel rooms, 26 restaurants, 25 shops, 20 bars and lounges, four pools, an IMAX Theater, a spa and a 2,000-seat showroom.
Tropicana prides itself on being a casino games innovator and boasts a selection of more than 2,400 different games it says surpasses the offerings of other Atlantic City casinos.
In terms of slots, the list includes everything from the newest slots available to a wide variety of classics. The games are in areas with engaging themes. Many feature linked and individual progressive jackpots. There also a rather large video poker area and a stylish and inviting High Limit slots lounge with a private concierge, restrooms, and hundreds of high-denomination slot games.
Tropicana’s history in Atlantic City
The origins of Tropicana Casino and Resort lie in The Ambassador Hotel, circa 1919.
The Ambassador infamously played host to the Atlantic City Conference for organized crime bosses. The likes of Al Capone, Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano all attended.
The Ambassador closed in the 1970s. However, Ramada brought its bones back to life in 1981. The organization actually purchased the Ambassador in 1978 with plans to remodel. Ramada was forced by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and then-Gov. Brendan Byrne to demolish the property and build a new hotel and casino practically from the ground up, reusing only the steel framework from the old hotel.
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Ramada bought the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in 1979 and decided to call the under-construction Boardwalk property Tropicana Atlantic City.
It opened in November 1981, with a 521-room hotel and casino. Renovations continued throughout the 1980s, adding a showroom, a second hotel tower, and the Tivoli Pier indoor amusement center. Tropicana Atlantic City became TropWorld Casino and Entertainment Resort.
Tropicana changes hands
Ramada ended the 1980s by selling the Las Vegas Tropicana. The mid-1990s saw another new hotel tower added and further renovations. A new poker, keno and off-track betting area opened, and the property was renamed Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City.
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The early 2000s saw another new hotel tower, a parking garage, and increased meeting and convention space added. Plus, The Quarter at Tropicana, a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex and shopping mall opened up.
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Ownership landed in the hands of a company called Columbia Sussex in 2005. However, Columbia Sussex was denied a casino license in 2007. Ultimately, a trustee took control.
Carl Icahn steps in and out
A group of creditors led by billionaire Carl Icahn bought Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City out of bankruptcy in 2009.
Icahn ran the property under his Tropicana Entertainment Inc. umbrella. The company has made more than $200 million in upgrades, renovations, and enhancements since 2013.
However, Icahn announced plans to sell Tropicana Entertainment Inc.’s US casino properties, including Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City, to real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties in early 2018.