Poll Finds Support for Casinos at Meadowlands, Monmouth Park

^{Results of a recent North Jersey casino poll favor building a new casino at Meadowlands Racetrack. (Photo: Sue Kawczynski / Eclipse Sportswire / CSM)}

A new poll has found that New Jersey voters appear open to the idea of expanding casinos beyond Atlantic City, specifically to the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks in North Jersey.

The poll, conducted by Global Strategy Group, found that New Jersey voters supported a Meadowlands Racetrack casino to combat new casinos being built in New York City by a 61% to 33% margin.

Pollster: New Jersey Voters See Benefits of Casino Gambling

In the same poll, 57% of voters said they would support a casino at Monmouth Park. The poll was conducted between March 2-5 with a sample of 800 likely voters and a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.

The results might be surprising, as just a decade ago, 77 percent of New Jersey voters opposed a ballot initiative to allow casino gambling outside Atlantic City. And some might question the legitimacy of the newer poll, considering it was conducted on behalf of Jeff Gural, who operates the Meadowlands racetrack.

But despite those caveats, Global Strategy Group says that its polling shows widespread general support for casino gambling across New Jersey.

“Voters recognize the benefits casinos bring to the state, making expansion a helpful solution to some of New Jersey’s budget challenges,” the pollster said in a memo. “54% of voters agree that casinos have been good for New Jersey overall. The revenue casinos bring to the state is beneficial, especially with the financial challenges voters recognize the state faces.”

The poll contextualized potential North Jersey casinos as a response to the three casinos that have recently been approved in New York City. Some New Jersey legislators fear that those resorts will siphon away significant revenue from Atlantic City casinos and the state, and see North Jersey casinos as a way to retain some of those gambling dollars.

South Jersey Legislators Vow to Oppose Casino Expansion

But any effort to give voters another chance to approve casinos outside Atlantic City would face significant challenges. First, 60% of legislators in both the New Jersey Senate and Assembly would need to approve any such referendum to get it on the ballot for November 2026. Alternatively, a majority of lawmakers in each chamber could approve the referendum in two consecutive sessions to get it on the ballot.

Getting those numbers may be difficult. In March, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers said they would oppose any effort to allow casinos beyond Atlantic City.

“As you know, the economic impact of Atlantic City’s gaming industry is felt far outside the city’s borders,” the letter, which was signed by 15 state legislators and three members of Congress, stated. “Tens of thousands of our constituents either work for a casino directly or one of the many vendors that support them.”

But State Senator Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth County) says that New York’s casinos will take business away from Atlantic City regardless of whether North Jersey casinos become a reality.

“I can drive an hour to Queens and go gamble, and it’s going to take me an hour and 40 to go to Atlantic City,” Gopal said. “Obviously, if the casinos weren’t coming to New York, we wouldn’t be in this situation, but they are. And to just ignore it and pretend like it is what it is, it’s just going to continue to lead to Atlantic City’s demise if we don’t do something.”