N.J. Gov. Christie wagers on Democratic support for sweeping gaming industry changes

Christie is expected to formally announce the massive revamp of N.J.'s casino, horse racing and entertainment industries during events at the Meadowlands, Atlantic City today

Gallery preview TRENTON — To get what he wants in Atlantic City, Gov. Chris Christie is making a calculated political bet.

Many of his team’s recommendations on reviving the seaside casino capital will have to clear the Democrat-controlled state Legislature, a minefield of competing regional interests long divided over the gaming industry’s future. But the most important player in the mix is Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), the head of a powerful bloc of South Jersey lawmakers who have fiercely protected their turf, squashing any number of past plans to expand gambling beyond Atlantic City.

"With Steve Sweeney as the Senate president, and secondly with the number of legislators on both sides of the aisle from South Jersey, we have the numbers to prevent that from happening," said Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May).

That could’ve been a death blow to any bold vision of reshaping the New Jersey gaming scene. But the Republican governor and his commission saw an opportunity, figuring that if he protected Atlantic City’s casino monopoly, a grateful Sweeney would give the governor the benefit of the doubt on a state takeover.

Sweeney wasn’t tipping his cards Tuesday, deferring to a "gaming summit" the Legislature will hold next month. But he didn’t say no, either.

"I’m very happy the governor’s putting a plan out because Atlantic City is floundering, the tracks are struggling, there’s pressing issues around the state," Sweeney said. "This isn’t about a race — who can put his or her stamp of approval on a plan for gaming. It’s about what can we do collectively."

Only with the cooperation of Sweeney — and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) — can Christie secure the necessary Democratic votes to pass his plan’s enabling legislation. Republicans control just 17 votes in the 40-member Senate and 33 in the 80-member Assembly.

But Oliver said the proposal is unlikely to win immediate broad support in the Legislature.

"There are equal numbers of northern New Jersey legislators that have strong feelings about the potential of the Meadowlands," Oliver said.

Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) could be another hurdle. A leading advocate for creating a "high-end, world-class casino" at the Meadowlands, Sarlo Tuesday declined to comment in detail on the report’s rejection of any expansion of gambling there.

"I’m not prepared to concede the future of the sports complex, and that real estate is an important part of our economy in New Jersey," Sarlo said.

But political experts said Christie was wise to aim at Sweeney, a fiscal conservative who has partnered with the GOP governor to enact public employee pension reforms and a 2 percent annual cap on property tax increases.

"Gov. Christie is politically savvy enough to recognize what battles are worth fighting," said Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University. "Is (Sweeney) beholden to Christie? I think this is clearly a mutually advantageous relationship."

By Claire Heininger and Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau

Josh Margolin contributed to this report.