ATLANTIC CITY--A local college unveiled its book on casino gaming in Atlantic City Thursday.

Stockton officials showed off their new book this afternoon, "Casino Gaming in Atlantic City: A 30-Year Retrospective."

It highlights how the city's casino industry has evolved over the last 3 decades and the contributions it has had on economic development in the city, region and state, which some say is enormous.

"It’s also interesting to remember that when Atlantic City started casino gaming it was only Las Vegas, this city changed the landscape of that industry for the entire country or at least east of the Mississippi," said Israel Posner, the executive director for Stockton Institute for Gaming Management.

The Atlantic City casino industry has been suffering the last few years due to the recession and stiff competition from neighboring states.