“Voices from Atlantic City” tells the story of the rise and fall of this gambling and entertainment mecca through the unique perspectives of local stakeholders – once prosperous card dealers, cocktail waitresses, construction workers and others - who lost their jobs or are hanging on to them by a thread, yet who still manage to have hope for the future. Today, in this crucial election year, the political and economic future of the remaining casinos, those still working there and the city itself hang precariously in the balance.Īlmost one year ago, a team from the “ Chasing the Dream” reporting initiative in collaboration with NJTV began chronicling the struggle of that historic city through those most affected by the boom and the bust. But by 2014, four of Atlantic City’s twelve casinos had closed, costing nearly 8,000 people their jobs. In 1976, Atlantic City, NJ - long an iconic seaside resort and home to a legendary boardwalk - became the first location outside Nevada to legalize casinos.

“You can’t have a resort without a beach.Editor’s note: NJTV created a comprehensive series that looks into the history of Atlantic City, from its booming heydays through its decline and what hope the resort city has in reviving its fortunes for the future.

“This is part of the experience,” he said. Past beach widening projects have often not lasted for the full three-year period before they qualify for renourishment by the government, and some wash away in as little as a year.Ĭallahan said if the beach needs to be rebuilt again with private money, it will be. He said the particular spot in front of the Ocean casino has historically been the most eroded spot on all of Absecon Island, on which Atlantic City sits. The sand is trucked in from a private company in Eagleswood Township, about a half-hour north of Atlantic City, project manager Ian Jerome said. Crews will then smooth the sand, which was matched for color and grain size to the existing beach sand. About half of that had been placed as of Friday.

Ryan Burch, the casino’s vice president of hotel operations, said the project will dump 12,810 tons of sand on the beach. Veteran Atlantic City casino executives said they can not recall a casino paying to widen its own beach using its own money. But most are content to wait for the next round of government-paid projects, in which the cost is shared by the federal, state and local governments. Stephen Rochette, a spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, said it is unusual but not unheard-of for private parties to carry out their own beach replenishment projects.

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