How attractive would a full-blown casino at New Jersey's Meadowlands be? “The number is almost incalculable. This would be the most valuable parcel of real estate for the expansion of gaming, maybe not only in the U.S., but the world.”
According to a report by northjersey.com, those were the words of New Jersey Sports Authority chairman -- and prominent real estate executive -- Carl Goldberg when he was asked how attractive the Meadowlands Sports Complex could be to possible casino developers.
Goldberg's comments came at a Tuesday, January 26 panel discussion presented by the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau in Lyndhurst.
State senator Paul Sarlo, a longtime proponent of horse racing, indicated at the conference that, in terms of gaming expansion, the Meadowlands should not just be looking at VLTs, but much more.
“Could you imagine a high-end, full-fledged casino in the Meadowlands?” Sarlo was quoted as saying. “The revenue stream created in the shadow of New York City would be magnificent. We’re beyond [just] VLTs at this point. If we are to do this, we need to do it right.”
“There has been a great expansion of gaming in a five-state region, and the state of New Jersey did nothing, absolutely nothing,” state senator Jennifer Beck was quoted as saying in the article. “The Atlantic City casinos did nothing. The horseracing industry did nothing. And, as a result, we’ve seen a decline across the board of gaming in the state of New Jersey.”
On Friday, January 22, New Jersey governor Chris Christie released 19 reports prepared by his Transition New Jersey subcommittees, including the report on Gaming, Sports, and Entertainments that included the New Jersey Sports & Exhibition Authority and the Meadowlands.
The report on Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment did not paint a pretty picture for the future of horse racing in the state. To read more and view the report, click here.
Click here to the read northjersey.com article in its entirety.
(With files from northjersey.com)