Chris Christie Says He Wants North Jersey CasinosGovernor Says He Will Campaign For New Casinos If Needed |
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As the Trump Taj Mahal prepares to close in October, Gov. Chris Christie has come out in full support of a plan to put casinos outside of Atlantic City. A November referendum will decide whether to end Atlantic City’s decades-long monopoly on casino gambling in the Garden State.
Gov. Christie also said Tuesday that he will campaign for the new casinos if asked to, according to a report from the Associated Press. The Republican governor not long ago was running for president.
His comments are noteworthy even though he indicated months ago that he would likely be in support of the major change to the state’s casino gambling industry. The last big change was when he signed a measure to legalize online gambling in 2013.
The governor was using support for additional casinos as leverage in his efforts to get his version of an Atlantic City bailout passed. The city was given more time to sort out its finances.
After the Taj closes, Atlantic City will have just seven brick-and-mortar casinos, down from 12 less than three years ago. Carl Icahn, who acquired the casino through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said he wouldn’t be investing tens of millions of dollars into the casino if casinos were approved for elsewhere in the state. It ended up not mattering.
Gov. Christie, a big proponent of gambling, is also trying to win an expensive legal battle to allow casinos in his state, wherever they may be, to have sports betting.
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