That is another great point. Go to Las Vegas, you fly into McCarran Airport direct from most major cities, and at subsidized fares. As your plane lands you are literally looking into the strip hotel windows. You are $20 maximum (unless the cabbie cheats you by taking the tunnel/freeway) to any strip hotel. As low as $12 to get to some of the closer ones. And that includes the apx $4 charge to just to pull the meter lever.
(driving can be perilous though).
It is about 15 miles from the Atlantic City airport to, say, the Taj Mahal. Not the same experience.
I’m not saying this is a huge issue, but, there is something “cool” about literally landing on the Las Vegas Strip. Flying in and out of there is fast and easy. Leave the hotel 1 hour before your flight and you are OK to make almost any flight. It adds to the idea that you can do Las Vegas impulsively - which many people do. I’m sure they do the same to Atlantic City, but, it isn’t the same especially wrt flying in.
Perhaps NJ should fund a bullet train to get people there from NYC and Philly fast and east.
Part of the mystique baby!
Landing at McCarran is cool when you see the enormous hotels. Especially when done on private jet. Then it’s even cooler.
There ain’t nothing cool about getting to AC. Step across the street and you’re in ugly town, USA. It stays that way until you escape.
Vegas is more like “Gawd! Did I really do all that?!” and then you grin, cuz your parent weren’t there to tell you to go to sleep, which you sorely need.