Christie to the rescue

摘要

Signs all over Caesar's casino in Atlantic City advertise vacancies for blackjack dealers. The jobs, however, are 150 miles away in Baltimore. Atlantic City, once the gambling mecca for America's north-east, lost its casino monopoly in the region when neighbouring states began legalising gambling a decade ago. Casino revenue fell by half in just eight years. Pennsylvania, which opened its first casino only in 2006, passed Atlantic City in 2012 to become the country's second-largest gambling market. Last year Atlantic City was dealt a devastating hand: four of the 12 casinos closed, including Revel, the newest and brightest. Some 7,600 jobs were lost. Those casinos represented 20% of gaming revenue in the city. Besides, the casino industry is the city's largest employer, and unemployment was already high. Property taxes are high, too. The city's tax base continues to decline. Even before the closures, a third of its citizens lived in poverty. The cards are stacked against the city.