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Meyer I. "Mike" Segal (September 26, 1922 – June 8, 1982) was a New Jersey Republican politician and businessman who led the initiative to legalize gambling in Atlantic City. At that time, the only legal gambling on the mainland of the United States was in Nevada. ==Leading the gambling initiative== By the 1960s Atlantic City, the once chic vacation destination of both the wealthy and the masses, had fallen into disrepair and partial obscurity. The city had been hugely successful since the late 1800s, as visitors could travel via train to the stately hotels and the beaches, and escape the heat of the cities; the boardwalk, beaches, Steel Pier’s diving horse and Miss America Pageant were world famous.〔Davis, Ed (1980). ''Atlantic City Diary, A Century of Memories, 1880-1980'', p4. The Laureate Press, Egg Harbor City, NJ. LCCN 80-53804〕 Following World War II, the proliferation of automobiles gave the average family access to many more destinations than just those that could be reached via railroad. Atlantic City tourism declined,〔Levi, Vicki Gold & Eisenberg, Lee (1979). ''ATLANTIC CITY 125 Years of Ocean Madness''. p 204. Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York. ISBN 0-517-53603-X. ''"By 1970 the Atlantic City tourist was invariably poor, black, elderly, or all three, as described by “Time” ". ''〕 and by the mid 1960s Atlantic City boasted the highest rate of unemployment in the state that had the highest unemployment in the nation. In late 1968, Mike Segal and a group of influential local businessmen announced they would pursue the possibility of legalizing gambling in the city〔(Atlantic City Press, 12/7/68 – ''Legal Gambling Sought for City'' )〕 as a cure for the ailing economy. The initiative received press coverage locally and nationally, as it was the first serious attempt to challenge Nevada’s monopoly on gambling.〔(Philadelphia Bulletin, 12/8/68 - ''Shore Group to Push for Legal Gambling'' )〕 Shortly after announcing, Segal, hoteliers Gary Malamut and Sonny Goldberg, restaurateur Arnold Orsatti, and others, formed the “Action Committee for Legalized Gaming”; Segal was elected Chairman of the Committee. In the week following the official announcement of the Committee, they received over 2,000 unsolicited phone calls and letters.〔(Atlantic City Press, 12/14/68 - ''City Betting Campaign is Snowballing'' )〕 Leading citizens, like international art dealer and “Merchant to the Rich” Reese Palley, publicly supported the initiative.〔(Atlantic City Press, 12/28/68 - ''"Voice of the People" – Reese Palley'' )〕 Numerous articles appeared in local and metropolitan papers.〔(Meyer I. (Mike) Segal Archive of Articles )〕 To garner additional support, Segal openly supported the State Lottery proposal of Democratic Governor Richard J. Hughes,〔(Atlantic City Press, 1/20/69 - ''Segal Backs Hughes on N.J. Lottery'' )〕 who was not a supporter of legalizing gambling in Atlantic City exclusively. Segal also supported the Camden, New Jersey initiative for legalized gambling, which Camden locals saw as a cure to the financial woes of their declining city.〔(Atlantic City Press, 1/69 – ''‘ACTION’ Backs Camden Plan'' )〕 There was overwhelming local support and powerful political allies. Years later Segal admitted that none of them anticipated the resistance that would be mounted by churches and religious groups across the state〔(Atlantic City Press, 6/8/77 – ''The Toughest Opponent of All'' )〕 and that would derail the initiative. In the short term (1968–72) the efforts of the Action Committee to Legalize Gaming did not result in successful legislation; it did however pave the way for the also unsuccessful 1974 statewide general referendum, and the subsequent 1976 referendum which did win approval. Segal and the other committee members worked tirelessly behind the scenes from 1972 through 1976 to ensure the eventual approval. The first casino opened in Atlantic City in 1978, and over the next decade tourism in Atlantic City burgeoned to record-breaking proportions. At its peak, in the decade immediately following the opening of gambling casinos, Atlantic City hosted >35 million tourists a year, surpassing both Disney World and Las Vegas as the #1 tourist destination in the country. By 2009, Atlantic City had fallen out of the “Top 10” tourist destinations in the US,〔(Forbes - ''America’s Most Visited Cities – 2009'' )〕 and by 2011, the number of annual visitors had declined to 28.5 million. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mike Segal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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