David Schwartz is one of the most prolific and respected gaming academic in the world. His books range from the exhaustive history of gaming, Roll the Bones, to his quirky look at the architecture of the Las Vegas Strip over the years, Suburban Xanadu. With his most recent book, Boardwalk Playground: The Making, Unmaking and Remaking of Atlantic City, he returns to his hometown to chronicle the literal and figurative roller coaster ride that has plagued Atlantic City since its inception in 1854. Mostly a collection of columns gathered from Casino Connection magazine, Boardwalk Playground explains the causes and effects of many of Atlantic City’s periods of boom and bust. In this interview with Roger Gros, GGB publisher, he focuses on the current “bust” period with four casinos closing in 2014, and the challenges still to come.
