Lawmakers continue to battle it out over the right of other areas in New Jersey to offer brick and mortar casinos. At present, casinos are only allowed in Atlantic City but opponents say that more casinos across the state could bring in more revenue. There is now a growing chasm between those who support casino expansion in the Garden State and those who would prefer to maintain the current status quo.
Governor Phil Murphy has not ruled out casino expansion in New Jersey, especially if it will keep gambling dollars in the state.
In a debate with Lt Gov. Kim Guadagno last year, the governor was quoted as saying: “My fear is if there’s a casino on the west side of Manhattan, they won’t send one red cent to Atlantic City. I’d rather that gaming, and those jobs created, be in New Jersey.”
A recent poll run by an anti-gambling lobby indicated that voters would more likely be in favor of legalizing marijuana for tax purposes than in favor of gambling expansion.
“By nearly (a 2-to-1 margin), voters prefer a millionaire’s tax or legalized marijuana over expanding casinos in North Jersey,” reads the results of the poll commissioned by Trenton’s Bad Bet. “In fact, voters believe Gov. Murphy should heed the will of the people on casino expansion.”
Nearly 18 months ago, lobbyists tried to expand gambling outside of Atlantic City, but they were unsuccessful in getting the idea approved. The Bad Bet poll shows that the despite the fact that the Governor is very keen to promote new projects such as senior citizens’ care and the improvement of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk area, only 34% of voters approve funding these projects by opening casinos outside of their present location.
The problem of keeping tax dollars within the state could be solved if New Jersey successfully convinces the US Supreme Court to allow it to legalize sports betting. If this happens, state gamblers will have more options open to them since New Jersey could begin offering in-stadium sports wagers.
