Casino expansion beyond Atlantic City has been widely popularized by proponents of the idea as an opportunity for the state to keep much-needed gambling revenue within its borders. Opponents, on the other hand, have promoted the proposal as one that would further lure casino patrons away from Atlantic City.
New Jersey residents will have the chance to cast their vote on a ballot question regarding a proposed constitutional amendment that calls for the establishment of two new casinos in the state’s northern part on November 8. Although the idea gained certain momentum at first, it now seems that the majority of voters will likely vote against it.
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind today posted the latest poll on the matter. The research center found that 70% or the vast majority of New Jersey residents would cast a negative vote in the upcoming November 8 ballot. The poll showed that only 24% of all interviewed residents supported the proposal.
Casino expansion seems to be strongly objected to even by people who have visited gambling venues over the past several months – 64% of them said that they would not support the effort.
When asked why they would not vote positively, 36% of the interviewed state residents said that they believed New Jersey had enough casinos. One more answer stroke as particularly popular – 26% of the poll’s participants noted that gambling venues had already done enough damage to Atlantic City. Traffic concerns as well as ones about potential crime rate increase were also among those mentioned by interviewees.
The casino expansion effort has been widely publicized over the past several months. According to Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, half of the eligible voters polled were paying attention to news concerned with the upcoming ballot and that they would make a well-informed choice.
Commenting on the latest poll’s results, PublicMind Director and Professor of Political Science Krista Jenkins said that the casino expansion idea had never managed to gain much support over the years and that it was no surprise that backers of the proposal were not particularly successful in selling it to New Jersey residents.
If the proposal somehow manages to gain a majority among voters, it would allow for two casinos to be built on yet-unspecified sites in North Jersey. Here it is important to note that the proposed constitutional amendment contains a provision, under which only operators with presence in Atlantic City will be allowed to apply for licenses for the operation of the North Jersey casinos. If no such operators express interest in running the new gambling venues, outside casino companies will be permitted to enter the local market.
Many believe that the provision in question had prevented backers from popularizing the idea in a better manner. If it had not been for it, major casino operators like Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts would have likely put funds into promoting the idea, according to industry experts. Both major companies have previously expressed interest in presenting their offering to the local market.
