Atlantic City

‘The Devil Is a Liar’: Atlantic City Mayor Rejects Claims That Casino Hub Is Unsafe

Posted on: October 20, 2026, 01:42h.

Last updated on: October 21, 2026, 07:25h.

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Devin O'Connor Devin O'Connor is a senior reporter for Casino.org, covering politics, casino business, and gaming news. Devin came on board with Casino.org in 2014...
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Key Points

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. appeared on The Breakfast Club, asserting that the city is safer and cleaner than ever
Small highlighted new security investments, including real-time gunshot detection technology, license plate readers, and surveillance drones
The mayor revealed that a high-profile, undisclosed New Jersey buyer has purchased the former Trump Plaza site

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. is pushing back against claims that the resort town’s gaming district is unsafe, telling listeners of the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club on Monday, Oct. 19, that the casino hub has never been safer or better positioned for growth.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Trump Plaza — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. says Atlantic City is safe and open for business. The mayor says a big announcement regarding the former Trump Plaza casino hotel site is forthcoming. (Image: The Breakfast Club)

Small has been in office since October 2019, when the Atlantic City Council selected him to succeed Mayor Frank Gilliam, who resigned after pleading guilty to wire fraud for stealing $86,000 from a youth basketball nonprofit.

Upon taking office, Small pledged to clean up both city hall and the streets—a priority long pushed by casino operators. Seven years and three elections later, Small says ongoing criticism about Atlantic City is unjustified.

People criticize Atlantic City for not being clean and for not being safe. The devil is a liar,” Small said.

“We got the best public works department in the world. Our police department—we got one homicide this year—crime is down at an all-time low. The shootings are down almost 80%,” the mayor continued.

Public Safety and Real-Time Surveillance

Small told The Breakfast Club that municipal investments in public safety technology are actively deterring crime across the gaming district. He pointed specifically to a $9 million municipal contract with Axon to deploy acoustic gunshot detection systems alongside automated drone technology.

“If a gunshot is fired, we know the address, but the drones get there before the officers and broadcast it live,” Small said. “We also have license plate readers, so it doesn’t pay to commit crime in Atlantic City. The whole city is under surveillance.”

Addressing the looming commercial threat posed by three upcoming downstate New York casino licenses, Small acknowledged the competition but maintained that Atlantic City’s seaside location, non-gaming amenities, and pricing value will keep regional drive-in traffic strong.

“We always reinvent ourselves,” Small said of the Atlantic City casino industry.

Unannounced Sale of Former Trump Plaza Site

Turning to real estate development, Small claimed that the Boardwalk footprint formerly occupied by Trump Plaza was recently sold, though he declined to name the buyer.

I’m not going to mention their name, but one of the most powerful people in the state of New Jersey has purchased the Trump Plaza property. I can’t name them,” Small said.

In February 2021, billionaire Carl Icahn, who owns the Trump Plaza, agreed with Small and the city to demolish the former resort’s original 39-story hotel structure.

Former President Donald Trump opened Trump Plaza in 1984. Once the top-earning gaming venue on the Boardwalk, the property eventually succumbed to financial distress and shut down permanently on Sept. 16, 2014.