Why North Jersey Casinos Are Coming, Like It or Not


Listen to  audio > Meadowlands owner Jeffrey Gural says North Jersey casinos are in the future, like it or not. Some reasons for the eventual end of Atlantic City gaming monopoly: 

  • Hard Rock has a 25%  stake in the Meadowlands.
  • The purchase of Taj Mahal in Atlantic City puts Hard Rock in prime position to potentially grab one of two, future North Jersey casino licences.
  • CEO Jim Allen says Hard Rock will build a casino at the Meadowlands if NJ voters change the law to allow it.
  • Nov. 2016 referendum was poorly written
  • Casinos in lower NY state and Philadelphia will siphon off gamblers soon
  • Internet gaming is keeping some people home

Listen below to Gural & Congressman Caputo grill Borgata President Tom Ballance.

Both Gural & Caputo dominated their panel during the annual East Coast Gaming Congress at Harrah’s  recently, consisting of the President of Borgata & NJ State Assemblymen Chris Brown & Vince Mazzeo

Jeff Gural told  Borgata’s Ballance: “Atlantic City casinos allowed the town to go bankrupt….and get turned into a slum”.

  • A small 8% casino tax rate in AC. Other states get an approx 50% tax rate. Compare Caesars Harrah’s property in Chester that pays $125 mil to Pa… whereas the 3 combined AC Caesars properties send just $85 mil in taxes to NJ.
  • AC luxury tax (parking & room) goes straight to Trenton
  • State built un-needed & mountainous dunes that killed beauty of ocean front views & boardwalk retail. This pushed seaside visitors into the casinos instead.
  • Crime festered while tourists were kept inside the big-box gambling palaces

Assemblyman Caputo asked Borgata president; Tom Ballance about MGM’s interest in buying Sands Casino in Bethlehem Pa. Mr. Ballance stumbled and pleaded ignorance. (listen to audio) Yet, this story was in ALL the papers, including the Press of AC. News of a pending deal to sell the Bethlehem casino to MGM surfaced in March and shortly after Sands halted its $90 million expansion.