New Jersey Officials Consider Building Two Casinos Away from Atlantic City

There’s positive momentum to expand New Jersey's retail casino scene outside of Atlantic City, which houses all nine in-state facilities.

Senator Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth County) earlier this month proposed an amendment to Bill SCR130 to allow slot machines and table games at racetracks at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands. The bill would let New Jersey residents decide on the fate of expansion.

Earlier this month, New Jersey reported a substantial decline in land-based casino revenue.

What the bill says

Gopal’s proposed changes would not implement a ban on any type of games at either racetrack.

“Upon approval of this amendment, the Legislature may pass a law prescribing the specific kind, restrictions, and control of operations of such casino games,” the bill reads.

Although Gopal did not present a suggested tax rate in his bill, he laid out a skeleton for how tax revenue would be distributed. 

45 percent of gaming tax revenue would be used to reduce property taxes; 20 percent would be given to extraordinary special education aid; 10 percent to state pensions; 10 percent to cost-of-living payments for retired state workers; 10 percent to help fuel Atlantic City tourism; and five percent to manage local horse racing.

A study found that Atlantic City operators invested about $200 million in entertainment offerings last year, including dining, guest stays, and live events. That didn’t stop retail casinos from falling 15.1 percent year-over-year during Q1 2025 to $132 million.

Hotel occupancy was also down 62.9 percent, sending casinos into a spiral. 

All nine of Atlantic City’s casinos were profitable in 2024.

Reasons for expansion

Monmouth Park opened in 1870 in Oceanport and is one of the country’s oldest racetracks. It has plans for a Caesars-branded sportsbook, rental housing, a hotel, and youth sports facilities to potentially supplement a casino.

The Meadowlands Racetrack opened in 1976 in East Rutherford. The name “Meadowlands” is known nationally for hosting the New York Jets’ and New York Giants’ football games, although it has plans to revitalize its attractions with the possible addition of a casino.

There are many reasons for New Jersey to consider building new casinos inside state lines. One of the biggest is that its neighbor, New York, will award three casino operator’s licenses later this year to end a drawn-out and highly competitive process.

New York easily has the top sports betting market in the country and would feasibly become a top casino market too thanks to its population density.

The upcoming launch of those facilities means that New Jersey’s new casinos, if approved, will have additional competition and will need to come up with attractions worthy of drawing customers east of the Hudson River. 

Lawmakers will need to consider the impact the building of two new casinos would have on Atlantic City casinos, especially with the iGaming market flourishing.