Calling the city’s defiance “one of the most remarkable situations that ever existed in an Eastern state,” the Times quoted local officials saying that even if they tried to enforce the state rules, no jury of local citizens would indict or convict the offenders because most felt that Atlantic City’s mission was to “attend strictly to the entertainment of our visitors”-and that meant offering gambling and booze seven days a week and letting brothels operate openly. In the summer of 1908, a New York Times story described how the renowned vacation spot Atlantic City had nullified state laws restricting gambling and alcohol.
