New NJ Gov.: No Slots For Big M

Published: November 4, 2009 04:23 pm EST

With the election of Chris Christie as governor of New Jersey, chances of slots at the Meadowlands, Monmouth Park and Freehold Raceway went from slim to none

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Even before the votes were counted, Christie told NBC he would make sure Atlantic City remained the only gaming site in the state.

“There will not be slot machines anyplace else. We will fix Atlantic City and protect the investment we have in that industry and our people in South Jersey and bring it back over the next four years.”

Christie’s strong statement cast a huge shadow over New Jersey racing. Jim Kirkos, CEO of the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau, asked, “What have we been doing over the last 10 years while all of our neighboring states have been cleaning our clock? We’ve watched Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York systematically steal our gaming and horseracing business, right under our nose. I don’t know how you save horseracing; I don’t have the answer. But all the other states around us are saving horseracing by adding VLTs. So why wouldn’t the same be appropriate for us?”

The answer, it seems, is that the state’s new governor couldn’t care less.

(Harness Tracks of America)

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