Lawmakers reached an agreement on casino expansion in New Jersey
Gambling in North New Jersey is one step closer after Monday’s session.
US.- Chris Christie, New Jersey Governor announced the Senate and the Assembly finally broke a deal regarding the creation of two new casinos in the state. This manoeuvre brings casino expansion closer to the expected referendum in November 8th, when voters will make their voices heard.
The agreement requires the approval of three-fifths of lawmakers in both the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers where divided over the compensation Atlantic City will receive if these casinos become a reality, being the main issue whether Atlantic City operators would run one or both casinos. In the post-agreement proposal, casino-license holders in Atlantic City would have six months to submit proposals for the new venues. After this deadline and provided that the state does not receive proposals that meet the criteria, operators from outside Atlantic City would have the chance to bid. The investment required for both casinos is around US$1 billion.
If this proposal succeeds in putting the casino question on the ballot, there is another cause of concern, as it is uncertain if voters would approve the casinos expansion in New Jersey. Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind casted a poll in June 2015 and found that 56 percent opposed the casino expansion whilst 37 percent favoured it.
