Why Retail Has Revived Las Vegas But Can’t Save Atlantic City

It doesn’t take long to realize how big shopping has become in this desert destination that casino gambling once ruled. Digital signs inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace urge visitors to “Shop as the Romans Do” along a 675,000-square-foot path with a Roman streetscape and talking statues. A model for experiential retailing. About 29 million people visited the Forum Shops, which marked its 25th anniversary on May 11, while 42.9 million visited Las Vegas a year. That means one out of every two checked out Forum Shops. Retail and non-gaming attractions — along with Vegas shows, 149,000 hotel rooms, and top restaurants and bars — brought in more than $11.2 billion in revenue last year, double the $5.2 billion that table games and slot machines generated. The appetite for retail is evident up and down the Strip. Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer.