ATLANTIC CITY-While the new year will start out on a down note with the closure of the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel on Jan. 13, Gov. Chris Christie is looking for better performance from the city's gaming venues.
"It's obviously a critical year because we need to begin to see progress . . . or we're going to start considering alternatives," Gov. Christie said. He later added, "It's a year when we have to show some significant results.”
Those alternatives could mean studying the option of allowing casinos at the Meadowlands sports complex and possibly elsewhere in the state. State law currently restricts casino gambling to Atlantic City, according to the Associated Press.
The state Legislature has indicated its support of the formation of a commission to study the impact of gambling at the Meadowlands.
"Frankly, New Jersey's gaming industry in Atlantic City is at a crossroads," Tony Rodio, president of the Tropicana Casino and Resort and head of the Casino Association of New Jersey, stated in a letter to lawmakers this month opposing the gambling expansion study.
2014 will also be the first full year of Internet gambling in New Jersey. Gaming experts question whether online gaming will bring in new gaming revenue to the state or just siphon off spending from Atlantic City's brick-and-mortar casinos. See story in The Inquirer.
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