Betting in Atlantic City
Atlantic City is a resort town in New Jersey. In 1853, the first hotel was constructed and by 1870, the town had gained notoriety for becoming America’s first seaside “Boardwalk”. In 1921, the Miss America Pageant was founded and then in 1934, Atlantic City inspired the creation of the world famous board game “Monopoly”.
Atlantic City Racecourse was established at the end of the Second World War. Thoroughbred racing was the first form of gambling to appear in the area. In 1978, The Resorts International brand opened a gambling hall on Atlantic City’s boardwalk. It was the first legal casino to be established in the Eastern United States, offering over two thousand games machines and 87 games tables. The venue also featured bars, restaurants and a hotel. This set a precedent for other licensed operations to open gambling halls in Atlantic City. In 1979, Caesars and Bally’s opened, followed by Harrah’s and the Hilton in 1980. They were followed in 1981 by the Tropicana and by the mid-80s, Trump Plaza, Trump Marina and the Showboat had joined them. In 1990, the Trump Taj Mahal was opened and later in 2003, the Borgata arrived.
In 2012, the Revel Casino Resort opened for business in the “Gambling Capital of the East Coast”. The venue has a vast amount of floor space, accommodating over 2,000 games machines and approximately 130 poker and table games. The establishment includes a large hotel, three top-end restaurants, several nightclubs, an amphitheatre, a huge function room, a spar and a shopping mall.
Wagering on sports is illegal in New Jersey - as a result, there are no sportsbooks offered in Atlantic City’s Casinos.
New Jersey Laws require gambling operations to provide a minimum of 500 rooms in order to obtain a licence. Due to this regulation, the Atlantic City establishments depend on customers who stay overnight for their main source of income. They offer quality entertainment, magicians, comedians, boxing matches, music, stage productions as well as free rooms and dinner as a means of luring visitors from Boston, Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia. Atlantic City’s Boardwalk is a seafront promenade which was first opened in 1870 - the first of its kind in the United States. Today, it is 60 foot wide and approximately four miles long - three miles longer than when it was originally opened. It features casinos, restaurants, hotels, shops, sightseeing and an array of amusements.
