Casinos in Atlantic City

In the state of New Jersey in the USA, there is a city by name of Atlantic City. This city is primarily known for its casinos. These have existed from the year 1978, at which point gambling first became legal in New Jersey.

History of Atlantic City

Atlantic City was officially declared a city in 1854. The city looks out on the Atlantic Ocean, and for this reason it has been named 'Atlantic City'. The city grew enormously the following decades. New railways and gigantic hotels were built. On the 16th June 1880, Atlantic City was officially opened. During the early 20th century, a huge amount of building work was performed and because of this the city's skyline evolved radically.

The Prohibition of the 1920s attracted a huge amount of tourists to back rooms where alcohol was poured and money was gambled all night long. This ban on alcohol (which ran until the 1933) was not taken seriously in Atlantic City and this contributed greatly to the tremendous popularity of the city during this period.

Toward the middle and end of the 20th century, Altantic City suffered a great deal as a result of poverty and crime. The emergence of the car in the family household meant that visitors were no longer required to take the train, which meant that their visits were shorter.

In an attempt to get the city's economy running again, a vote was held in 1976 which ultimately led to the legalisation of gambling in Atlantic City. This certainly helped on some level, but many historians attribute the current state of Atlantic City to other factors, such as the fact that Mike Tyson often chose Atlantic City as his preferred location for boxing.

Atlantic City Today

The casino mogul Steve Wynn made plans to build a roadway which would help to increase the popularity of Atlantic City as a tourist resort. His plans to rebuild the city were scrapped, but the tunnel was nonetheless opened in 2001. This ultimately led to the casino The Borgata being opened in July 2003. The economical crisis which hit the West a few years later forced a lot of businesses to shut down, but despite this the interest in Atlantic City is bigger than it has been for nearly a century.

Gambling and other Activities

There is no other city with as large a selection of casinos as there is in Atlantic City, with the obvious exception of Las Vegas. Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Atlantic City, Tropicana Atlantic City and Trump Taj Mahal are some of the most notable of these casinos. New casinos are constantly being built. The casino Revel will be finished at the beginning of 2012 and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will be finished in early 2014.

However, there are plenty of other things tourists can keep themselves entertained with in Atlantic City. First of all, there is a remarkably long beach with an exciting offering of restaurants, shops and museums.

Should I Visit Atlantic City?

Atlantic City is a central part of the history of casinos and once upon a time it was the single most important place in the USA with regards to casinos and gambling. Today there is a larger games selection in Las Vegas and Macao, and perhaps Monte Carlo gives the visitor a more relaxing vacation. Nonetheless, Atlantic City is definitely worth a visit for the casino enthusiast.

Atlantic City has a rich history which all casino enthusiasts should explore. At worst, anybody who has visited Las Vegas, Macao and Monte Carlo should treat themselves to a visit to Atlantic City to complete the casino experience!