Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino Will Cut Bus Money, Paper Says

(Bloomberg) -- Aztar Corp.'s Tropicana Casino & Resort will cut the pocket money given to bus patrons and use the savings to improve hotel rooms and retail stores that attract people who spend more, the Star-Ledger, of Newark, New Jersey, reported.

Atlantic City casinos give bus patrons cash or a free meal to attract groups, such as senior citizens, to the casinos, the paper said.

Last year, Atlantic City casinos gave away $153.6 million, or 3.6 percent of total revenue, to bus customers. Casinos spent another $381 million on other complimentaries, like money given to frequent slot-machine players, the paper said, citing Aztar Chairman Paul Rubeli.

Rubeli said comps should be reduced because they are free- cash giveaways to people going to the casino anyway, the paper reported.