New Jersey Officials Might Allow Casinos Outside Atlantic City

New Jersey officials are considering bringing changes to the American gambling laws that limit the area of the state’s casinos to Atlantic City. Since 1976, state regulations dictate that such gambling venues can only be built in Atlantic City, but New Jersey lawmakers are now panning on bringing casinos to Bergen County.

The Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee held a meeting to discuss whether introducing gambling venues to new locations across the state of New Jersey is a good idea. According to the AJR11 bill, New Jersey should have a new commission dedicated to studying the new gambling laws introduced by neighboring states.

The Casino Gaming Study Commission’s main role would be to take a closer look at the effects of new casino legislation implemented outside of New Jersey and then decide whether expanding local gambling businesses should be allowed or not. The idea has been discussed before and supporters have suggested Bergen County as an ideal location for future casinos, mainly because the Meadowlands Racetrack is placed right in middle of the county.

According to Meadowlands Racetrack chairman Jeff Gural, the business potential of casinos in the area is huge. He estimated that such a gambling venue could bring in a profit of $350 million a year. After the legalization of online casinos in the US state of New Jersey, Atlantic City is already a few steps ahead of bordering states like Maryland and Pennsylvania. However, lawmakers are well aware that, soon enough, the competition will grow bigger and New Jersey has to keep up.

Online casinos are already legal in Delaware, while Pennsylvania and Maryland are preparing to legalize and regulate internet gambling. As of next year, mobile casinos will also become available in New Jersey, which will increase the popularity and success of the state’s gambling businesses