Christie proposes state takeover to fix Atlantic City woes

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wants a state takeover of Atlantic City, and changes to state gambling policy to put the city back on the resort gaming map.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says Atlantic City is dying, and he’s pushing for changes so it can become what he calls “Las Vegas East.”

The Governor says the changes for New Jersey’s gambling, horse racing and entertainment industries are bold and risky. He wants the state to get out of the horse race business and put more focus on revitalizing Atlantic City.

“We can not afford to let Atlantic City go under with no opportunity from the state to participate in making it better,” he says. “But by the same token I’m no longer going to stand by and allow the people who have allowed Atlantic City to get into this failing position to be the ones making the decisions about Atlantic City’s future.”

Christie says he’ll ask the legislature to approve a state takeover of the casino and boardwalk area to assure investors and visitors that it’s clean and safe. Christie says he does not want to add slot machines to racetracks at a time when Atlantic City is hurting, but says the idea could be considered in the future.