Another try at expanding casino gambling beyond Atlantic City

💲A ballot question expanding casino gambling to the Meadowlands failed in 2016

💲New legislation would create a constitutional amendment

💲Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson is not in favor of the proposal

New Jersey legislators are taking another crack at casino gambling beyond Atlantic City.

State Sens. Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, and Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, are going a different route by introducing legislation proposing a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to approve casino gambling at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford and Monmouth Park. Currently, it is only allowed in Atlantic City.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a public ballot question in 2016, 80% to 20%, that would have allowed casinos to open at the Meadowlands race track in East Rutherford. The question would allow new casinos to be built 72 miles from Atlantic City. Monmouth Park is 69 miles away.

Gopal said that the wagering landscape has changed greatly in the region with more options than in 2016. Casino gambling is more widespread in Pennsylvania and is poised to expand in New York City with at least four new casinos being proposed.

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A message for New York

The Monmouth County Democrat says he is trying to get a conversation going before it becomes a reality. The bill also sends a message to New York state that if more casinos open in Manhattan, New Jersey is ready to respond.

"There are gambling options that are all over. There's online gambling. I just think that the argument of saying that it hurts Atlantic City, I just don't buy that. I think people are going to choose, in a world where there's competition, of where they want to go," Gopal told New Jersey 101.5.

Gopal thinks that the bill could generate $100 million in revenue. The bill states that 45% of the revenue generated by casino gambling would go toward property tax reduction, 20% to funding for "extraordinary special education aid," 10% to funding for the state employee pension, 10% towards cost of living adjustments for retired state employees,  10% towards Atlantic City tourism and 5% to the state harness horse racing industry.

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Making Atlantic City less attractive?

Longtime Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, a Republican, thinks that it has more to do with the continued state takeover of Atlantic County, which leaves very little control and makes the city less attractive.

Then-Gov. Chris Christie proposed the takeover in 2017 in order to help the state rein in runaway expenses, high taxes, and poor governance. The action stripped civil service rights and protections from many city workers, making it easier to make changes in the way city departments were staffed and run. The control was extended another four years by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021.

Levinson said that problems like homelessness and poor condition of the streets cloud the city's future and that casino gambling has done nothing to "revitalize" Atlantic City. With the state calling the shots, it leaves local officials with few ways to fix the problems.

"We have to figure it's by design. If Atlantic City keeps getting less and less attractive, it will make it easier for those individuals that want gaming at the Meadowlands," Levinson said. "We had a 47 or 48-year head start on all of our neighbors, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and we squandered it, unfortunately."

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Make Atlantic City a full experience

Levinson believes that if the legislation ever became law and a referendum to expand casino gambling went up for a vote, it would pass, putting thousands of jobs and billions of investment dollars at risk.

He would like to see a way to make visiting Atlantic City an experience beyond the casino hotels.

If the bill were to pass, a proposed constitutional amendment would have to be approved by a vote of three-fifths of each legislative body, or it would have to be passed by a majority vote of the Legislature two years in a row.

The bill was sent to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

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