I bus, therefore I play

15 September 2015

By Frank Scoblete

Atlantic City, and many other venues, often rely on the “bus people”: those players who take advantage of relatively cheap day-trips to their favorite casinos. For somewhere in the vicinity of $40, they often get breakfast at their morning meeting of their fellow players at the pick-up spot; then they are given vouchers for a buffet lunch and some vouchers for slot credits or match play.

In my small village of 9,000 people, several buses leave every week from various local clubs such as the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and The Knights of Columbus. These buses are invariably sold out, or at least close to it. For many people, these trips are events.

Many of these bus people, probably the overwhelming majority of them, are (senior) senior citizens looking for a day of fun by the shore. Most of these seniors will, of course, gamble, but some won’t risk a penny -- they will just enjoy a day on the Boardwalk socializing with their friends and new acquaintances. They will eat the buffet lunch, maybe buy a slice of pizza on the Boardwalk and do some people-watching as well. In fact, they may be people-watching other people who are also people-watching them.

Although Atlantic City has faced the closing of five casinos in the past year or so, the bus people are still getting on board. In point of fact, the grand-grey elephant of the Boardwalk, Revel, eschewed the grey-haired bus folk because the big wigs wanted to position their property as a resort destination that didn’t have to resort to the buses. That probably hurt them right in Revel’s almost empty coffers.

The men on these buses, who are the minority of the bus people, tend to be craps players of the East Coast variety: cantankerous, complaining, loud but true lovers of the game. Some have been playing craps since Atlantic City opened its first casino (Resorts) in the late 1970s. Over my quarter century of playing in Atlantic City, I have seen the height of the World War II greatest generation fade away over time; then the Korean War vets head that way and now I see my own generation, the Vietnam War vets with grey and often losing hair, take on the airs of the elite players from the bus customers.

I prefer my visits to the casinos to be weekdays. The pace is more leisurely; the players prefer less-loud music. There aren’t as many mating rituals going on, such as the ones you see during the weekends. I don’t like banging shoulders with “youts,” as my cousin Vinny said.

I am guessing that the bus people will remain a vibrant group for many casinos in the years ahead. It guarantees players in the casinos at the casinos’ slowest times.


Frank Scoblete’s new book is “I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps!”