In June, the Atlantic City casino industry was sent reeling when it was announced that both Revel and Showboat casinos could close by the end of the summer. And last week, state Senate President Steve Sweeney said the legislature could pass a bill setting up a statewide vote to approve casino gaming outside of the Boardwalk town.
Sweeney had been very supportive of Governor Christ Christie’s pledge not to consider gaming elsewhere in the state for five years from the start of his effort to revitalize Atlantic City. Now with two years to go on that pledge, Sweeney is willing to reconsider.
“If everyone is telling the truth—and you know I’m skeptical, too—then they care about Atlantic City, too,” he told the editorial board of the Bergen Record. “So if there is a true willingness—and I am taking everyone at their word—yeah, I am looking at it and I have looked at it for almost a year. I’ve publicly said things completely on the contrary for one reason. I thought it was unfair for people to be advancing bills and calling on things and showboating politically.”
North Jersey politicians have long wanted to legalize a casino at the Meadowlands sports complex, which includes the stadium that hosts the football Jets and Giants, an arena for the New Jersey Devils, and a harness racetrack. A failed development there, Xanadu, could be saved with a casino attached to its retail and hospitality offerings.
Essex County Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, a former casino employee, welcomes Sweeney’s reversal.
“I’m very pleased that he has opened his mind to the possibility of helping the state’s gaming business statewide,” Caputo said. “Atlantic City is under tremendous strain, and we can’t just abandon them
Caputo envisions a tax rate of 50 percent—more than five times the Atlantic City tax rate—with proceeds used to help revive the city.
Other North Jersey gaming supporters reflected the same sentiment.
“By co-branding new gaming venues with the global brand Atlantic City already has built up, and by leveraging loyalty programs, we can help make Atlantic City a preeminent destination location,” said Sussex County state Senator Steven Oroho.
All involved conceded however that no bill could be advanced soon enough to get it on the November 2014 ballot, so it will have to wait a year.
