Most in N.J. oppose gambling expansion beyond Atlantic City, poll finds

Atlantic City is the only site in New Jersey that’s permitted to have casinos, and a new Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll shows most residents don’t want to change that.

Fairleigh Dickinson political science professor Dan Cassino, an analyst for the poll, said 50 percent of residents don’t want new casinos to open outside of Atlantic City, while 42 percent support an expansion.

“This is something that has really been pushed in the state Legislature especially as casino revenues from Atlantic City have started to dry up,” he said. “In an era where the state Legislature is looking for any way it can to fill its coffers, you would think casino gambling would be a good way to do it. But the public just doesn’t seem to be behind it yet.”

Voters are skeptical about an expansion because increased competition could hurt Atlantic City casinos even more, Cassino said.

If it were allowed elsewhere in New Jersey, he said, residents narrowly favor opening a new casino in the Meadowlands rather than Monmouth Park. The reasoning is that having one in Bergen County could recapture some of the business that’s expected to be lost to new casinos proposed for New York State, according top Cassino.