Mayor Guardian has to be very worried to make up facts about casino gaming impacts. Crime and prostitution did increase in Atlantic City after we started gaming at Resorts in 1978; but not in relation to the increase in persons dialy at risk. 35 million visitors, joined 40 thousand AC citizens and another 50 thousand South Jersey residents, commuting to work at casinos and support industries, translating to a daily population of nearly 200,000 persons, all at risk of being a victim; but only 40,000 being counted by the FBI for their Crime Stats. AC was no different than Las Vegas or for that matter Orlando, with all of their wonderful family attractions. In fact Orlando has a higher FBI Violent and Property crime rate, than either of the mentioned casino resorts. Maybe Mickey Mouse is a pimp and Goofy a mobster?
Shortly after we opened in Atlantic City, I was participating in a gaming debate, with the NJ Attorney General, and he asked me about prostitution. With tongue in cheek, my response was we haven’t been able to stop the practice, but that the quality of the product has been greatly improved. My boss said I missed the point, and that we didn’t want any activity that kept customers away from the casino floor.
To say that a community doesn’t want the negatives that come with new forms of commerce, is to say we don’t need new jobs, taxes, construction and tourism; that we like the status quo. And that was not Atlantic City’s response when we introduced the customer magnet, casino gaming, to the resort in 1978.
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