Broken Promises in Atlantic City: Florida Should Beware
August 26, 2013
The broken promises of casino gambling clutter Atlantic City. Deep-seated social problems fester despite promises made about all of the “jobs and revenues” that casinos would bring to Atlantic City. The familiarity of those promises should ring like an alarm bell in the heads of Floridians, because the same industry is making the same promises to our legislators today.
Have casinos brought jobs, revenues, prosperity and a better way of life to Atlantic City like the casino hucksters promised? Almost 40 years later, Atlantic City still has not recovered from the economic cannibalization, crime and destitution that casinos brought.
The promises gambling interests made then, and are making again today in Florida, would be laughable if the situation in Atlantic City was not so grave.
Check out these statistics from a recent USA Today Article.
Atlantic City quick facts
Population: 1970 — 47,859; 2011 (est.) — 39,558
Percent below the poverty line: 1970 — 22.5%; 2011 — 29.3%
Unemployment rate: 1977 — 18.1%; 2012 — 17.8%
Median household income: 1970 — $4,257 (New Jersey, $10,371); 2011 (est.) — $28,526 (New Jersey, $71,180)
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: Atlantic City 2011 — 19.2; New Jersey — 3.1
And here’s a link to the entire article…
Contact: John Sowinski
Phone: 407-608-5930
Email: info@nocasinos.org