Christie says he appreciates Dems proposal
PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Chris Christie today said he appreciates a new plan advanced by Democrats to revamp casinos and horse racing in New Jersey, and said he'd like to save horse racing as long as the state doesn't subsidize it.
"I want horse racing to continue in New Jersey," Christie said at a campaign appearance for Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett. "If there’s a model that doesn’t require government money, I’m sure we’ll be able to work it out. I appreciate the proposal the Democrats made. I think there’s a lot of similarities between the two and we’ll be able to work it out."
Christie did not address specifics of the Democratic proposal, which includes pushes for sports betting and intrastate internet gaming through Atlantic City casinos.
The Democratic plan, released Monday, was in response to a report commissioned and supported by Christie that proposes a state takeover of Atlantic City's gaming and entertainment industry — and an an end to state support for the struggling horse racing industry.
The Democrats say they would streamline the operations of the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks and open more off-track betting locations to keep horse racing alive. They believe their plan could bring in enough revenues for race tracks without using $30 million a year from the casino industry.
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