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BURZICHELLI STATEMENT ON SPORTS & GAMING REPORT

Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Chairman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) released the following statement on Wednesday:

“Everyone knows that Atlantic City and its success is vital to New Jersey’s overall economy, so any attempt to ensure it’s success is welcome, even if the administration decided unnecessarily to complete this report in a vacuum. Like all reports such as this, the devil is hiding in the details.Many recommendations appear to be a positive step toward promoting Atlantic City as a tourism and gaming mecca. I know many people would like to see video lottery terminals elsewhere in the state, but we must focus our efforts on ensuring Atlantic City’s long-term stability.

“Still, this report doesn’t go far enough. Noticeably missing are a major focus on Internet gambling and smaller boutique casinos, both of which will quite obviously play key roles in the future of gaming, both in attracting new revenue, competing with other states and creating jobs. I applaud the effort of those who worked on this report and am pleased they concluded the best thing for New Jersey in the competitive casino market is to keep the focus on Atlantic City. Time is of the essence, and I expect my committee and the gaming summit called by Speaker Oliver and Senate President Sweeney will thoroughly review the report and devise a legislative that will also include our own initiatives and hopefully be in place by mid-September. We also expect to announce further details on the gaming summit soon.”