Gambling in Atlantic City, first legalized in 1978, has given a tremendous boost to the economy. As a result of this, Atlantic City has now become a major tourist industry, with millions of visitors each year spending billions of dollars on entertainment. This alone has greatly contributed to the increasing demand for new hotels, restaurants, and retail services, providing much-needed employment for over one-third of its population.

When you think of gambling in Atlantic City, you'll more than likely think of poker. Over 50 million people play poker at least once a month and Atlantic City offers some of the best casino poker rooms in the country. The majority of these are located along the Boardwalk and in the Marina area. Bally's, Harrah's, and the Sands are relatively small in comparison to some of the other gambling casinos, but they offer many low-limit poker games and daily tournaments in Texas Hold'Em, 7-Card Stud, and Omaha poker.

The poker rooms at the Sands, Bally's Wild Wild West, and most of the other casinos have a large number of non-smoking tables for poker players. The Tropicana has a low-limit poker room, as well, with televised sports events, viewable from every table. The Tropicana also features the Trop Poker Club, open 24 hours, 7 days a week, where its members can earn anywhere from 50 cents to $2.00 an hour for each live poker game they play. This money may be used for room, food, or beverage credit and are just another incentive to play poker.

Gambling in Atlantic City is often closely identified with the very popular Trump Taj Majal, which introduced the first non-smoking poker room. There are over 70 tables, where you can play many kinds of poker, including 7-Card Stud, Texas Hold-em, and Omaha, for a low entry of $1 up to $600. Daily tournaments, Hi-Lo poker games, and two annual tournaments, including the U.S. Poker Championship and the Trump Classic, are held each year. The Taj Majal, along with several other casinos, offers free poker lessons for the beginner. If you're gambling in Atlantic City and seeking luxury and elegance, you should consider the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa and Caesar's. Casinos in Atlantic City are primarily smoke free and food and beverage service are readily available.

Gambling in Atlantic City has brought new life to what was once a fading city. Discover gambling in Atlantic City; it's exciting and fun.