The Avenues of Monopoly, Captured in Pictures

Headlines from Atlantic City today read like they might be pulled from Monopoly, the most famous board game ever made about Atlantic City, or any other city. "Atlantic City Allowed to Collect Up to $30 Million Unpaid Revel Property Taxes," reads one from The Wall Street Journal Thursday. It's a bank judgment in the city's favor, practically a card drawn at random from the Chance deck. "Economist: Atlantic County Job Losses Among Worst in Nation," reads another story, about how the city is suffering the worst single-year contractions in employment in recent national history. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

Cities and states that previously shunned gambling are now embracing casinos. The most recent example is Massachusetts, which awarded the state's first two casino-resort licenses after voters backed commercial gambling on Election Day. At the same time, the capital of East Coast gambling has seen its star plummet. Following the closure of four casinos in Atlantic City this year, commercial tenants who share the Boardwalk with them fear that the loss of jobs, hotel inventory, and tourist appeal could spell bust.