Beach casino 50/50

Coming back to this, it’s all Atlantic City, all the time. I’ve got a few Vegas things I’ve been kicking around, including my personal ranking of the high-end burger places on the Strip and a book review or two. But then the AC Press goes ahead and runs a HUGE Pinnacle spoiler:

Giving a sneak peek of the closely guarded concept for its proposed casino, Pinnacle disclosed Wednesday that a "beach house" theme is under consideration as it tweaks the designs for the estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion project.

"Were on the beach, and its a great distinguishing factor for our project versus some of the newer gaming facilities or projects in the region - Philly, Catskills, etc." Pinnacle spokeswoman Pauline Yoshihashi said in an e-mail statement.

But at the same time, Pinnacle executives reiterated that the casino is in limbo until the global credit crisis passes and the company can secure financing for the Las Vegas-style megaresort.

Beach-themed Pinnacle casino still captive of financial tides.

Between this and the Revel “ocean” theme, I’m happy. Seriously, it’s a good sign that we’re moving away from Wild West-themed casinos on the Boardwalk. I’ve always said that Atlantic City would be better off if it was honest about what it was–a small, urban resort on the Atlantic Ocean–rather than trying to be Las Vegas East.

There’s a big potential for “beach house” to turn out badly, though. I’m thinking suites that look like weekly-rental houses that pack in 20 college kids, with cigarette burns in the carpet and red cups with warm beer littered throughout the place. Couches with sand caked into them, that sort of thing. The concept itself doesn’t scream “elegance,” does it? Are the employees going to be required to wear flip flops? Will the security podium look like a lifeguard stand? How far are they going to go with this?

At its worst, this ends up looking like a TGI Friday’s with a deck, with all sorts of “beach memorabilia” stuck on the walls. Although it would be neat if the security officers got whistles, like lifeguards.

At the other end, a beach-centered resort could work very, very well. This cloak-and-dagger secrecy’s a bit off-putting, particularly since there’s only a 50/50 chance the thing is ever built. That’s a whisker away from being a negative expectation game.