A bill was recently filed to allow a referendum authorizing casinos outside the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, but there is expected to be a great deal of opposition from a variety of stakeholders.
Spreading the Wealth
State Senators Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, and Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, representing northern and central New Jersey, have filed a constitutional amendment that would send the topic of casinos operating outside the nine Boardwalk gambling palaces to the voters. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 130 (SC 130) is the bill that would do what another referendum in 2016 failed to do: bring casino gambling to other parts of New Jersey.
The previous attempt to expand casino gambling outside the Atlantic City footprint failed miserably, as voters rejected the amendment by an 80% to 20% margin. In its previous incarnation, the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) effect took hold as casino locations were not specifically designated and voters were concerned a casino could be opened in their neighborhoods.
However, such is not the case this time around, as the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, just outside New York City, and Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport have been specifically designated, leading supporters to believe this iteration has a better chance of passing.
“Ready to Respond”
The measure was provoked by the looming specter of three New York downstate casino licenses that are expected to be awarded this year. All nine bids are for projects in the New York City boroughs, and that could have devastating effects on the Boardwalk casinos’ foot traffic, as many New Yorkers leave the Big Apple to wager in Atlantic City.
State Senator Salo released a statement saying, “This plants a flag to send a message to New York State that if they open a casino in Manhattan, New Jersey is ready to respond to the competition. New Jersey isn’t going to let gambling dollars in northern New Jersey leave our state for a casino in Manhattan.”
Yet, adding more casinos would further exacerbate those issues, despite three of the casino operators—Bally’s, Caesars Entertainment, and Hard Rock—all bidding on the New York licenses. Hard Rock has also proposed opening a casino at the Meadowlands, but those plans have been shelved for the time being.
Public Outcry
Naturally, there was immediate backlash to the proposal, with several lawmakers and stakeholders expressing their concern that more is not better when it comes to protecting the Boardwalk casinos from cannibalization.
State Sen. Vince Polistina, Assemblyman Don Guardian, and Assemblywoman Claire Swift all denounced the move. “Expanding casino gaming to North Jersey will do nothing to increase gaming revenues statewide and will only move them from Atlantic City elsewhere,” said Guardian, who was mayor of Atlantic City in 2014 when four casinos closed. “Our focus has been to make Atlantic City a worldwide destination for both gaming and non-gaming tourism. We need to continue to work on the infrastructure of the city to not only keep our current visitors but attract new ones.”
Michael Suleiman, Atlantic County’s Democratic Party chairman, added, “The voters of New Jersey have already made it abundantly clear: They don’t want North Jersey casinos. Bringing this proposal back to the ballot would be a waste of taxpayer money and a distraction from the real issues our state faces.”
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