It is time for New Jersey voters to take a decision whether to expand casino gambling to the northern part of the state through a vote on Tuesday. It is for the first time since 1976 when casinos were approved in Atlantic City that voters will be asked to take a count on gambling in the Garden State. Now this is a strong question that appears in people’s mind whether or not to allow casinos in North Jersey and decide how big the defeat for betting now.
Brigid Harrison a political science professor at Montclair University said of the referendum that “It’s been highly unusual,” “And it’s surprising because early on, I anticipated this would be a slam dunk.”
Atlantic City has been the only place where casinos are allowed to exist in New Jersey for the last 40 years. However, with the flourishing gambling business in the neighboring states and new sites opening up the city’s gambling market has shrunk.
State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex) has been surprised at the backlash said:
“Voting ‘no’ is not the answer,” said Caputo, a former Atlantic City casino executive. “‘No’ does not create more jobs. ‘No’ does not reinvigorate the state’s casino industry.”
Assemblyman Chris A. Brown, who represents the city in the state Legislature, said studies show there are “a finite number of people who gamble.”
“And by opening two new casinos, you are simply reshuffling the deck,” Brown (R-Atlantic) said.
A recent survey from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Public Mind Poll found 70 % of New Jersey voters opposed the casino expansion. Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University.”I think its representative just how frustrated people are with all things Trenton — Chris Christie being primary, but it bleeds over into everything,”
So it is still a time when the people of New Jersey vote and take a call on the expansion of casino industry in the Atlantic City. In the current scenario where the neighboring states are flourishing and the gambling and casino industry is doing exceptionally well there, it is also a threat to the existing casinos in the city. They might have to shut their shop if the industry does not get any boost and this is the reason they wish that this referendum should be passed in their favor so as to it gives a new leash of energy to the remaining casinos in the city.
