Media Campaign For North Jersey Casinos To EndGroup Backed By Racetrack Owner, Footwear Magnate Suspends Effort |
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In the wake of a poll showing that a plan to put casinos in north Jersey is losing traction, a media campaign to push for approval of the November ballot question has been suspended, according to reports.
The newest advertisement from Our Turn NJ came on Sept. 10. In its high-stakes battle to put casinos closer to New York City, the group released five video ads over the past month, according to its YouTube page.
The group is backed by former Reebok chairman Paul Fireman and Meadowlands Racetrack chairman Jeff Gural. Both men have proposed their own respective casino projects in north Jersey.
The majority of Garden State lawmakers, as well as Gov. Chris Christie, support breaking Atlantic City’s decades-long casino monopoly, but voters are hesitant.
Fireman and Gural issued the following statement this week:
“We believe deeply that gaming expansion to Northern New Jersey is a remarkable opportunity that should not be squandered. We have committed $4 billion in private investment to this state to create world class resort destinations with gaming. The benefits include 43,000 new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in recaptured revenue — a rare opportunity for New Jersey. In addition, as New York debates allowing gaming in New York City, it is critical that we beat them to market or risk losing this opportunity permanently.
“The data, however, speaks for itself. The current political climate in New Jersey and voters’ concerns about the lack of details relating to the effort have proved overwhelming. Even knowing that an out-of-country gaming company that sends New Jerseyans’ gaming dollars to Malaysia is funding opposition ads does not have an impact. As such, with great reluctance we have decided to suspend the paid media component of the statewide campaign.”
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