Over the past 45 years, New Jersey gambling has been a rollercoaster of innovation, growth, and straight-up reinvention.
Many associate the Garden State with Atlantic City’s busy casinos and boardwalks, but the history of gambling here stretches well beyond its 1980s heyday.
After working in the industry for years, there’s something fascinating about watching how the pieces always seem to shift. Here’s a closer look at the history of Atlantic City gambling — its origins, rise, and where it seems to be headed.
To understand Atlantic City’s rise as a gambling hub, you need to trace the roots of New Jersey gambling back to colonial times. New Jersey was no stranger to wagers. Lotteries even funded public projects during the 18th and 19th centuries.
