Special Collections: Conference on Atlantic City Tourism and Social Change Collection

In May 1982, Richard Stockton State College hosted a three-day conference on the new gambling industry in Atlantic City and its effect on tourism and social issues. Stockton Associate Professor of Anthropology, Joseph Rubenstein, was the conference director. Scott Synovetz served as Assistant Conference Director and Marianne Rademaekers was the Research and Conference Coordinator. More than 75 people gave presentations and papers in 17 sessions at the conference. Robert Hughey, a former Stockton faculty member and the Atlantic County Commissioner from 1975-1977, gave the keynote address and the movie Atlantic City was screened.

The conference’s goals were to examine the impact of gambling on the tourism industry in the area, as well as to highlight education’s role in assisting with future planning for local issues. When casino gambling started in Atlantic City in 1978, Richard Stockton State College faculty were uniquely positioned to study the industry’s birth and growth. The conference allowed the faculty – as well as experts from other institutions, the casino industry, and state agencies – to present findings of the three years’ of research since the opening of the first casino in Atlantic City.

This collection contains 21 papers presented at the 1982 conference, selected for publication as the conference proceedings of Gambling & Social Change in Atlantic City. The proceedings were not formally published. There is also an introductory chapter by Joseph Rubenstein, Conference Director. Topics covered in the papers include the history of Atlantic City, the history of gambling and casinos, urban redevelopment, government regulation of the casino industry, and the tourism industry. Additional topics include the effect of gambling on students and education, on the elderly, on crime, and on families.

The collection also includes a copy of the conference program. The collection was donated to Special Collections in 2018 by Professor Rubenstein.

Collection processed by Louise Tillstrom, Special Collections Principal Library Assistant, May 2018.

While Stockton University’s Bjork Library’s Special Collection and Archives owns the collection, Stockton may not own the copyright for all of the items. Researchers wishing to reproduce materials are responsible for obtaining the proper permissions.