Saying the casino market in Atlantic City is already saturated, the Casino Association of New Jersey is opposing a plan to allow smaller “boutique” casinos to be built in Atlantic City.
“In view of these circumstances, the city clearly does not need any more gaming product,” the association said in a press statement.
The New Jersey state Senate has approved a bill easing the requirements of a 2011 law that originally allowed for the development of two boutique casinos on the Boardwalk. The changes eliminate the requirement that at least one of the casinos eventually expand from 200 to 500 hotel rooms.
The original bill also required developers to build their projects from scratch, but the new legislation allows existing non-casino hotels to convert themselves into smaller-scale gaming halls.
“Changing the rules that have been in place for close to four decades in order to add additional gaming inventory to an already saturated market would be harmful and, quite frankly, counterproductive to Atlantic City’s overall revitalization efforts,” the association said.
The original bill in 2011 failed to produce any boutique casinos, although Hard Rock International proposed one project before backing off in 2012.
Though approved by the state Senate, the bill did not go before the state Assembly before the Legislature broke for summer and will not be up for a vote until the fall.
