Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee Chair Ralph Caputo (D-Essex) on Thursday praised Senate President Stephen Sweeney for embracing the idea of expanding gaming opportunities beyond Atlantic City to North Jersey.
“I applaud the Senate President for recognizing the need to expand New Jersey’s gaming options to other areas of our state, particularly North Jersey where surrounding states are continuously encroaching on our market.
“In order to remain a competitive gaming force along the East Coast, we need to have an earnest dialogue with all the relevant stakeholders and the Senate President is certainly one of them.
“We can’t bury our head in the sand anymore because one day we’re going to look up and all of our tourism dollars will have flocked to other states.
“The additional revenue that would be generated by these new gaming opportunities will also enable us to assist Atlantic City in the long-term.
“The sooner this can be accomplished, the sooner our economy and our state as a whole will benefit,” said Caputo.