TRENTON — By rejecting proposals to expand gambling beyond Atlantic City, the report pitched by Gov. Chris Christie to boost the state’s gaming industry could reignite a long-simmering divide between North Jersey and South Jersey in the state Legislature. In a move seen as a concession to get Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) on board with the sweeping proposal,...
In a move seen as a concession to get Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) on board with the sweeping proposal, the report says Atlantic City’s fortunes should be addressed before even considering gaming in other regions.
"Sweeney is president of the Senate, not president of Atlantic City. His responsibility should go beyond his regional interests," said Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), a former casino marketing executive who has proposed a constitutional amendment to authorize video lottery terminals in the Meadowlands — a move he says could generate at least $500 million in annual revenue and 2,000 jobs.
"This is the usual split," Caputo said. "You’ll find most of the North Jersey people are going to support this concept of keeping the Meadowlands and using it for VLTs."
Christie today warned lawmakers not to let parochialism doom plans to revive the gaming industry.
"If people in North Jersey don’t think double-digit unemployment in South Jersey affects New Jersey, they’re wrong," he said.
South Jersey lawmakers fiercely protect Atlantic City’s monopoly of gaming, and argue that expanding it would harm an already struggling industry that saw revenues decline from a peak of $5.16 billion in 2006 to $3.91 billion last year. North Jersey, they argue, has more economic opportunities for its residents.
Sweeney spokesman Derek Roseman said the Senate president believes all parts of the state "benefit from the dollars our multi-billion dollar tourism industry brings in."
But to many North Jersey lawmakers, keeping gaming relegated to just one city is an obsolete idea when neighboring states offer slot machines and table games. State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) wants a full-sized casino in the Meadowlands and said the report is "abandoning Bergen County and the Meadowlands region without a plan for the future."
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) listens in the Senate Chamber at the State House in this July 2010 photo.But Sarlo said such concerns don’t necessarily mean Christie’s plan would be stymied in the Legislature, noting he and Sweeney agree a Democratic legislative summit on gaming is the place to hash out the issue. "This is not a North/South war," he said.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), who on Tuesday said the plan could have trouble in the lower house, today issued a statement stressing that in addition to helping Atlantic City, "it’s important to remember that transforming the Meadowlands complex into a modern and vibrant entertainment destination is also essential to New Jersey’s economy."
The divide is not relegated to Democrats.
"I’m not happy as a Bergen County person that we seem to be so protective of Atlantic City," said State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen). "I believe we are letting other states eat our lunch in terms of gambling."
Staff writer Rohan Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
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