From roulette to revenue, numbers mean everything in Atlantic City. However, the once thriving playground for adults is staring down some harsh figures: 12,000 jobs lost and gaming profits down more than a quarter since 2007. Now, New Jersey's governor is proposing that the state take over the gaming industry in order to return the struggling city to its heyday. "It was Disneyland before there was Disneyland — the most ornate, over-the-top resort outside Coney Island," says Temple historian Bryant Simon, author of Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America.