Lawmakers Trying Hard To Get A Casino Built In Bergen County

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Now that lawmakers have agreed to bring casinos to North Jersey, the next debate will be where exactly to put them.

Although the bill regarding the casinos still has to pass in this legislative session and then must be approved in a statewide referendum vote, casinos seem to inching closer to being a staple of North Jersey’s future.

Resistance is expected from residents and lawmakers in and near Atlantic City, which desperately needs tax revenue generated from that city’s ever-dwindling number of casinos. The agreement and referendum would most likely require North Jersey casinos share part of the tax revenue they generate with their South Jersey counterparts.

“It’s not going to be easy because I think there will be people in the Atlantic City area who will vote no. I think people who have a natural inclination against gambling will vote no too,” Weinberg said. “It will take some explaining to voters to get them to see what kind of casino we envision so that people do not view this as gambling parlors opening up on street corners.”

There is a proposal to build a $4 billion casino in Jersey City and another to construct one at the Meadowlands Racetrack. State representatives are trying hard for at least one of the casinos to be built in Bergen County. The agreement guarantees a $1 billion minimum investment into any North Jersey casino built.

Related: Bill Allowing Casinos In North Jersey Approved

“What we are developing in the Meadowlands is a real entertainment destination,” said state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-37), “Adding to the already existing attractions that are being built there, we are developing a real entertainment destination there.”

Senate President Steve Sweeney previously told Politico that American Dream’s developers, Triple Five, would be “eager” to submit a proposal for a casino if the opportunity presented itself. Sweeny and Weinberg co-sponsored the legislation approved earlier this month to bring casinos to North Jersey.

District 40 Assemblyman Scott Rumana said that the American Dream project offers a unique opportunity. A casino there would be one amenity among many whereas the other potential spots would possibly have a casino by itself.

The American Dream Meadowlands is shaping up to be the entertainment destination on the East Coast. A waterpark, Dreamworks amusement park, aquarium, Legoland, and the largest indoor ski slope in the Western Hemisphere, a casino would only add to the grandeur and contribute to the already staggering attendance numbers some are projecting $5 billion project will have when its complete in 2017.

Related: Most Expensive Retail Project On Earth Coming To Meadowlands In 2017

“With a casino and convention center, the number were talking about would be between 40 and 50 million visitors a year,” Rumana said. “Then it becomes the number one destination in the country. Walt Disney World gets 17 million visitors a year.”

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