A proposed state constitutional amendment would allow a casino to operate in North Jersey and another in Central Jersey, to counter a continuing push for a new New York City casino.
Legislation would create a constitutional ballot question asking voters whether the state should allow a casino at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford and the Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport.
State Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood Ridge and state Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Tinton Falls, introduced the legislation on May 12.
The two argued in separate statements that the state should have a constitutional amendment given New York City’s potential addition of a casino.
“This plants a flag to send a message to New York State that if they open a casino in Manhattan, that New Jersey is ready to respond to the competition,” Sarlo said.
“This plants a flag to send a message to New York State that if they open a casino in Manhattan, that New Jersey is ready to respond to the competition,” Sen. Paul Sarlo said.
The proposed North and Central Jersey casinos were first reported by Politico New Jersey. The legislation does not say when a vote by the public would be held.
Jeffrey Gural, owner of the Meadowlands Racetrack, said he would like this to move forward in 2026 once a new governor is elected and once it’s clear where in New York City there would be a casino.
He felt that a ballot question would be more successful if it were just asking voters to approve a casino for North Jersey, and not one in Monmouth Park.
“I think [people] don’t want a casino in their neighborhood,” Gural said in an interview May 15. “I think people in southern New Jersey look at Monmouth [Park] as competition because it’s not that far from Atlantic City. But the Meadowlands would really be competing with the casinos in New York, not so much the casinos in Atlantic City.”
How would a casino proposal pass?
A constitutional amendment requires a three-fifths approval in both the state Assembly and Senate before appearing on the November ballot as a public vote, according to the New Jersey Statehouse website.
Alternatively, the proposed amendment would need a simple majority in both legislative chambers two years in a row before appearing as a ballot question before voters.
Voters initially rejected a 2016 question allowing for a North Jersey casino. But two years later the state legalized sports betting, which has been a boom for both online and physical casinos.
In 2024, patrons wagered $12.7 billion on sports, of which $12.2 billion was via websites or mobile apps, and the rest was at brick-and-mortar casinos, according to public records.
“Why would anybody think it’s a good idea to force people to go to New York to gamble, when they could go to the Meadowlands and avoid traffic over the [George Washington] Bridge, along with tolls,” Gural said Thursday.
Gural was the main driving force behind the 2016 referendum on a North Jersey casino, which failed by a 4-1 ratio. He had announced his plans in 2015 to partner with Hard Rock International to build a $1 billion casino adjacent to the Meadowlands Racetrack grandstand.
“It was designed to fail,” Gural said of the referendum in an interview last year, because the proposal was written in such a way that the casino could have technically been built anywhere in North Jersey.
“People don’t really want a casino in their neighborhood,” he said.
Prospects of a NYC casino make Atlantic City anxious
In New York City, casinos have been proposed for Coney Island, Times Square and the Hudson Yards redevelopment project.
An $8 billion casino by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, proposed for a parking lot adjacent to Citi Field in Queens, has garnered the support of the New York City Council, Gothamist has reported.
For decades, Atlantic City’s casinos were the only game in town for gamblers. But now, New Jersey faces competition from several casinos close to its borders: Empire Casino in Yonkers, a casino and racetrack just north of New York City; Resorts World in Queens; several casinos in Philadelphia and another in Delaware.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has proposed an $8 billion casino for a parking lot adjacent to Citi Field in Queens.
The fact that gambling is permitted at racetracks in neighboring states but not Monmouth Park or the Meadowlands, puts the two sites at a disadvantage, argued Gopal, the Monmouth County state senator.
“We thought the time was now to start a discussion — not to immediately pass a bill, but to start a discussion,” added Dennis Drazin, the chief executive officer of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park. “The last thing we want to do is hurt the casinos” in Atlantic City.
Revenue sharing with the Atlantic City casinos?
And aspects like revenue sharing with the nine Atlantic City casinos, as well as whether these two potential casinos might just have slots and not table games, could be up for discussion, Drazin said.
Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and head of the Casino Association of New Jersey, a trade group, said last year that another New York City casino could be a “threat” to Atlantic City’s nine casinos.
Emily D’Alberto, a representative for MAD Global Strategy Group, which does public relations for the Casino Association of New Jersey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last year during a casino conference, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg and Bally’s Chairman Soohyung Kim both cautioned that New York City casinos could draw away visitors who might otherwise head to Atlantic City. Both Bally’s and Caesars own casinos in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. agreed. “We know that there’s a threat looming with New York,” Small said during the gambling conference.
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Voters could decide on a casino at Meadowlands Racetrack
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