How It All Goes Down
Turn Out the Lights
- Atlantic City is in dire straits. It's now the mid 1970s and this once-bustling resort town is a shadow of its former self, its tourism income nearly half of what it was in 1950. Ouch. The people in charge have one hope left, though—legalized gambling. The city's vice industry has been gone for some time now, but residents still hope that gambling will draw in new visitors.
- Unfortunately, Governor Brendan Byrne stands in their way. Byrne is the opposite of an Atlantic City politician, contemptuous towards corruption and immune to bribery. It'll be tough to get past him.
- Atlantic City tries to get gambling legalized in 1974. Their pitch is to allow cities across New Jersey to vote on whether they want it in their communities, rather than focusing solely on Atlantic City. The ballot initiative fails miserably and "it seemed all was lost" (9.37).