Gambling on the American Dream:
Atlantic City and the Casino Era
James R Karmel
Financial History
978 1 85196 926 5: 216x138mm: £60.00/$99.00
978 1 85196 553 3
In recent years, casino gambling has swept the United States. Since 1990, casinos have opened all around the United States. Casinos have become a powerful engine of economic growth around the United States. Gambling on the American Dream provides a historical perspective for understanding this growth by telling the story of Atlantic City, New Jersey since the 1970s. Gambling on the American Dream uses oral history to focus on the human stories of the region in addition to the broader story of economic and social impacts that occurred from the beginning of the casino era in the 1970s.
Gambling on the American Dream charts the general history of the region using economic and development statistics as well as demographic and social indicators for both Atlantic City and Atlantic County from the 1970s through 2004. It is a story of brash market economics, individual achievement and risk-taking. It is also a story of dramatic change and the democratic process. Moreover, it is a complex story of the relationship between local and state government, the casino industry, its employees and patrons.
Sample pages
Readership
Financial and Business History, American Studies, Twentieth-Century History
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: We Are for Gambling: The Pre-Casino Years and Casino Legalization
Chapter 2: Let the Gaming Begin: A New Era for Atlantic City
Chapter 3: A Winning Bet? Success and Struggle in the 1980s
Chapter 4: Recession and Recovery: Turning a Casino Corner
Chapter 5: Casino Magnets: New Immigrants and Atlantic City Opportunity
Chapter 6: Big Visions: Competition, Consolidation and the Great Tunnel-Connector War of the 1990s
Chapter 7: New Stylings: Finance, Retail and Challenges at the Turn of the Century
Chapter 8: Atlantic City and the American Casino Era
