The line stretched down the Boardwalk and snaked around the corner onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Men and women were dressed in their finest attire, anxiously waiting to be a part of history.
Inside the old Haddon Hall, cards were being shuffled, chips were being stacked, bars were being stocked, microphones checked and the slot machine lights were glowing. Rocco Pepino, now 74-years-old, said he remembers the crowds and how badly they wanted to be a part of it all.
“When we would go on break outside (not supposed to) (people) would see our dealer uniforms and think we could somehow get them in,” Pepino, of Atlantic City, said. … When Atlantic City’s first casino turns 40 this Memorial Day weekend, it will feature a three-day celebration complete with a beach ball drop, fireworks, a live reenactment of the first dice throw and a concert by the Village People. But it’s the memories that will carry on long after the party has ended.