"Look, you live 15 minutes from Chester and want to play the slots, it's now there for you," said Phil Juliano, the executive vice president at the Atlantic City Hilton who oversees entertainment at both the Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City.

"But you do that at a price," he continued. "Our job is to say, 'All right, you've abandoned Atlantic City as a slot player, but come down here because we have shopping, we have the ocean, we have the Boardwalk and we have lots of entertainment, not to mention better restaurants.'

"We've got to show them it's a better package."

One of the things Juliano said that Resorts and the Hilton will have more of in 2008 is entertainment that isn't circumscribed just to the weekend.

"Melissa Manchester's Christmas show, for instance, was here for five days," he said. "Our entertainment policy is based around filling the rooms at the Hilton and Resorts. We bring in acts that have tradition behind them and book them during the week to fill those rooms."

Larry Mullin, the president of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, said it is the chronic dearth of hotel rooms in Atlantic City that has driven entertainment, at least big-name entertainment, to weekends, when people have time to drive to the Shore for the evening to see a show.

The Water Club, a separate hotel adjacent to the current Borgata, will open with 800 new rooms this summer. By the end of the year, there should be 2,500 new rooms total at the casino-hotels in town.

"I still think our market is mostly a day-trip or overnight market, and I don't see a great change in that," said Mullin. "But the more hotel rooms we have, the more we can become a destination for some people. I wouldn't say we are going for midweek entertainment, but now, if there is a big show on tour we could get for mid-week, we wouldn't hesitate to do it."

Among the entertainers hitting the Borgata early in 2008 are Diana Ross (Jan. 13), Matchbox Twenty and Alanis Morrisette (Feb. 15) and Avril Lavigne (March 28).

Bill Borenstein, who co-ordinates entertainment for the four Harrah's properties, said each will try to differentiate itself more in the coming year. The House of Blues at Showboat will tend to have younger-skewing shows such as Fabolous (Jan. 26).

Harrah's, in the Marina, will offer more long-running shows, and Caesars Atlantic City will continue to try for weekend big-name entertainment. Bally's, with a small, 500-seat theater, will have smaller acts.

"At Caesars, we will do the A-list, with a variety to try to capture several kinds of markets," said Borenstein. "For instance, Bill Cosby will be here in a couple of weeks. If Cosby is your Bruce Springsteen, as he is to some, a 1,584-seat venue like at Caesars is perfect for you."

Curiously, both Juliano and Borenstein said that Monday is a bigger night for Atlantic City entertainment than Friday. Juliano said that if someone is extending a stay, they will do a late Monday rather than an early Friday, so he will often try to find acts that will also add a Monday, even if it's a matinee.

Borenstein is bringing Six Real Brothers, an a cappella act, to Bally's starting later this month. They'll play six days a week and have off on Fridays.

"I grew up here, and I noticed that people just came down late on Fridays, so they would not go to shows then," he said. "It's a good day to go dark and play for the rest of the weekend. I see that a lot for the coming year." *