Atlantic City became the inspiration for game inventor Charles Darrow's Monopoly  game because of his fondness for childhood vacations spent in the beach-side city. He often played a game called The Landlords Game  with his friends, came up with the idea to apply Atlantic City to the existing game.

In the original North American sets, the properties were named for streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Notable among these is Marvin Gardens, which is a misspelling of the real Marven Gardens in Atlantic City.