AHC: An East Coast alternative to Las Vegas

Is it possible, with a post-1900 PoD, for there to be an US city east of the Mississipi River which could replace Las Vegas, or compete with her, as the country’s “capital of vice”, whose economy is very dependent on the gambling industry?
 
For somewhere on the East Coast to be something like Las Vegas you have to look what makes Las Vegas "Las Vegas", first it must be able to reached by car in a few hours from major metropolitan centers but far away enough so that you can't make it back home in the same day by car and still enjoy yourself.
There must be other things to do besides gambling and going to shows at night, in Las Vegas you can golf, go to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, take an aerial tour of the Grand Canyon among other things.
One of the problems of Atlantic City was that it is too close to New York City and Philadelphia and many people would go for a few hours then still be home in time to go to work the next day.
Another problem was that the State of New Jersey instead of keeping most of the tax revenues in Atlantic City to help renew the city, kept it for itself to spend on other parts of the state and Atlantic City did not get the help it was promised when gambling was approved.
 
Another problem was that the State of New Jersey instead of keeping most of the tax revenues in Atlantic City to help renew the city, kept it for itself to spend on other parts of the state and Atlantic City did not get the help it was promised when gambling was approved.
Not too hard to accomplish, have the NJ Machine 'protect' Atlantic City.

Do this by having Nucky Johnson have a better bookkeepers, and not get hit with tax evasion in 1941. He's able to push for legal Casinos afer the War

He would have enough dirt on the other Pols(and Mob connections) to keep that $$$ in Atlantic City
 

Lusitania

Donor
Actually somewhere in the blue mountains of the Appalachia. So that people need to drive 4-5 hours to get there and spend a few days there. Also good weather most of year is crucial.
 
perhaps the turning point is that federal government never catch wind of the Apalachin and thus the Costa Nostra is never exposed, organized crime dosn't take a major blow and thus the mob is able to build more vice businesses on the east coast.
 
Well, how about this -

By 1959 Walt Disney began searching for an Eastern USA location to mirror the success of Disneyland. He found the 'perfect site' in 1962 beginning what came to be known as the 'Palm Coast Project'. Ironically there was an old remnant of Dixie Highway made of red brick which was still driveable and kept perfectly intact as both an actual artery into the landward side of the park and for part of it later as the main "highway" of "Oz". Soon the area between St Augustine and Daytona is rapidly developing with need for a more 'adult' section evolving, espcially as retirees flock to the area in droves.

Having lost much of their investment in Cuba and with slot machines already legal in Florida, various Mob members and front businesses began to build ever-larger casinos from late 1963 onwards. With the completion of the Aladdin Tower and Bigtop (mirroring the newly finished Circus Circus in Las Vegas and partially owned by the same), by 1970 the state of Florida legalizes gambling in a controversial move as Tampa begins to attract attention as a haven for "independent" films. Before its overhaul and cleanup began in 1993 the Southern Cinematography Society was also known as Satan's Camera Studio while I-4 soon became Fast Track to Four Sins (Envy, Greed, Lust, Pride).

Today Orlando is compared to Macau and Las Vegas but with a flavor truly all its own, the infamous Casino Wars between the Cosa Nostra and Colombian cartels are over and the violence of the late 70s to early 90s much abated. While the Jacksonville-Melbourne axis accounts for 25% of Florida's tourist revenue on the family friendly beaches, the Ocala-Sebring-Naples triangle is approaching 40% while Gainesville fights to keep 'clean and reputable' while Greater Miami continues to grow at an astonishing rate as the US hub for Latin American, Southern European, and more recently Russian conglomerates looking for a US headquarters.
 
Top