Odds not looking good for North Jersey casinos, poll finds

New Jersey voters will be asked Nov. 8 to decide whether to expand casino gambling outside of Atlantic City and allow two new gambling halls to be built in the northern part of the state.

But a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Tuesday shows 50 percent of the voters say casinos should stay confined to Atlantic City, a 1-point increase from the group's last survey. Meanwhile, 40 percent say such gambling should be expanded, a 4-point drop.

Three percent say they don't want gambling anywhere in the state and 7 percent are unsure.

A state lawmaker wants to establish more info for New Jersey residents as they prepare to vote on whether to expand casino gambling to the north.

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Among voters who were asked the question as it will appear on the November ballot, 58 percent disapprove of the proposal, while 35 percent approve, and 7 percent are unsure

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Atlantic City has been the only place allowed to have casino gambling in New Jersey since casinos opened in the city in 1978.

"Eagleton has been polling on permitting gambling in other parts of the state since 1979, and New Jerseyans across a number of demographics have never warmed to the idea," said Ashley Koning, interim director of the Rutgers-Eagleton poll. "If this pattern continues, there is little hope for the ballot amendment passing."

Proponents say north Jersey casinos will bring billions of dollars in new revenue and thousands of new jobs to the state, while also providing tax dollars to help Atlantic City reinvent itself as an entertainment destination.

Opponents say it will accelerate problems in Atlantic City, which has seen five casinos close in recent years, causing the city to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy repeatedly over the last year.

The poll comes amid a massive ad blitz by Trenton's Bad Bet, a group trying to muster opposition to the referendum.

It is still uncertain where the two casinos would be built if the question passes. There are proposals for gambling halls in Jersey City and the Meadowlands in East Rutherford.