CEO Upbeat About Borgata's Future

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- When the Borgata opened in July, Terry Lanni, CEO of MGM Mirage, partners in the $1.2 billion resort, set a date of six months to evaluate whether his company would proceed with a major development on land it owned in the marina district adjacent to Borgata.

"Six months passed earlier this month, and Lanni still hedged his bet. After pulling back from repeated decisions to plow ahead, Lanni gave a cautious thumbs up on Atlantic City in a conference call with gaming analysts Wednesday.

"…The casino racked in more than $266 million in gambling revenues in half a year, finishing second to the much larger Bally's Atlantic City in every month since August.

"The Borgata also gave a shot in the arm to table games, driving the first gain in table revenues since 2000.

"…MGM will continue to evaluate plans for Atlantic City, Lanni said…"