Share 
State of Play’s TL;DR
- Atlantic City casino executives and South Jersey elected officials say they will fight renewed efforts to expand casino gambling and convention business into North Jersey.
- A recent report warns the southern region could lose thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue by 2035.
Atlantic City casino executives and South Jersey lawmakers say they will oppose renewed efforts to expand casino gambling and convention business into North Jersey, after a regional report warned the move could sharply deepen job and revenue losses by 2035.
The pushback followed a forum near Atlantic City International Airport reacting to an August report from the Atlantic County Economic Alliance. That report said Atlantic City and the surrounding region could lose 5,100 jobs and nearly $815 million in revenue by 2035 under a baseline scenario tied to New York casino expansion, online gambling growth, inflation, and other pressures.
If two new North Jersey casinos are added, the projected losses rise to more than 8,100 jobs and nearly $1.3 billion in revenue.
Report warns of multiple competitive threats
According to the report, the market faces five main threats:
- Migration from in-person casino play to online gambling and sports betting
- New casinos in New York
- Possible new casinos in North Jersey
- Persistent inflation
- Proposed new convention center in the Bergen County Meadowlands
That convention center proposal is a major concern for Atlantic City officials because it would compete directly with the Atlantic City Convention Center. The revived casino expansion idea would place casinos in East Rutherford and at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport.
State Sen. Vince Polistina said there is bipartisan opposition in South Jersey to both ideas.
“It is critically important that the state does not compete with itself as it relates to gaming or as it relates to a convention center.
“Absolutely everybody opposes it. Despite party affiliation, now is the time for South Jersey to unite.”
Lawmakers argue wealthy counties should not get casino expansion
Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan framed the debate as an economic fairness issue, arguing that Bergen and Monmouth counties are already among the wealthiest in New Jersey while Atlantic County is not.
“From an equity standpoint, it’s just not fair. It is not fair to consider gaming in an already wealthy county that does not need the revenue.”
New York City is expected to have three new casinos operating by 2030, adding to Atlantic City’s competitive pressure. At the same time, the state Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that New Jersey’s nine casinos posted their worst recent September for in-person gambling winnings.
Based on reporting by Wayne Parry for The Press of Atlantic City.
