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A mishmash of union officials, business and community leaders have stepped in to oppose a referendum that would bring two casinos to North Jersey, the first in the state outside of Atlantic City.
Trenton’s Bad Bet is urging state residents to vote against the new casinos that could crop up at the Meadowlands Racetrack, Jersey City - just across the border from Manhattan - and Newark, the state’s largest city.
Those in opposition primarily fear the erosion of Atlantic City’s already fragile economy.
The new group claims that lawmakers have little evidence to support the potential benefits being touted with the proposed North Jersey casinos.
Bob McDevitt, a member of the Unite Here Local 54 in Atlantic City, called the Nov. 8 referendum, "another bad deal for New Jersey."
“Trenton has a track record of making promises it fails to keep and there’s no reason to believe the benefits touted in this proposal will be any different," McDevitt said in press release.
The state has already expanded its casino industry into the virtual world where sites like Pala Online Casino and others have begun to thrive in partnership with gambling firms that currently maintain a presence in Atlantic City.
In May, New Jersey hit a two-year high for online poker with revenue in the state nearly topping $2.6 million, up from about $2 million in 2015.
Online casino growth showed an even greater climb upwards, from $10.7 million a year ago to $14.4 million.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
