Atlantic City-It will be every idea you had about winning and losing.” (From the movie, Atlantic City, Louis Malle 1980.)
A great deal about Atlantic City’s history is a tug of war between the “old and new,” and the marketing models vs. customer perceptions. In the 1980-90’s I was there along with countless others employed in this first experimental gaming model outside of Las Vegas.
In control were various corporate power players and politicians full of visionary dreams. Their idealism was fed by the excitement of being at the beginning of a new industry in the city, their ego and a daily unrealistic infusion of cash. This daily flow of funds from the casino floor sometimes blurred the lines of business realities. Added to this a somewhat controlled chaos with an endless supply of "political buffoonery" that prevailed for decades.