Casinos are springing up like mushrooms in many American cities, and the gambling industry is booming. In Atlantic City, on the other hand, she breaks down. One casino after the other had to close. RTL reporter Carsten Mierke watched the sinking of Atlantic Stadt on site.

Alongside Las Vegas, Atlantic City was one of THE gambling metropolises. Those who wanted to try their luck drove to the city on the east coast of the USA, 200 kilometers south of New York. "In the XNUMX's and XNUMX's they could put slot machines out on the street and it would have worked," reports casino expert Robert Ambrose of the 'golden times'. From Marilyn Monroe to Eminem, the big stars loved dropping by.

But since the end of the gambling monopoly, the city has been struggling. The competition in the neighboring states, which lures with increasingly exciting offers, is too great. The former gambler's paradise has missed the connection and offered too few new things for guests hungry for adventure.

Now that 'Revel', which only opened a few years ago, had to be auctioned off, fear for jobs is part of everyday life for many citizens. The unemployment rate reflects the sad truth. It is higher than in almost any other American city. In Atlantic City there are hardly any jobs besides the tourism industry around the casinos. Most job seekers are forced to leave the city.

Fifty percent drop in sales
The city depends on tax revenue from the casinos. The fact that casino sales fell by half this year from five billion dollars in 2006 was also clearly noticeable in the city's coffers.

Investors, however, are reluctant to accept the thought that Atlantic City may soon be dead. One last time they are pumping millions of dollars into casinos threatened with closure, such as the 'Taj Mahal'. A desperate rescue attempt that probably comes too late. It is almost guaranteed that this casino will also have to close at the end of the year.

A way out of the crisis does not seem possible. Residents believe no more than three casinos will survive. Therefore, the search for alternatives is important. For example, Atlantic City has the only free-to-walk beach in New Jersey. But it takes a little more than just a beach to make up for billions in sales.

rtl.de