Conversations are heating up again in the Garden State as the New York Gaming Commission stamped its approval for two casinos in Queens and another in the Bronx. The Meadowlands now has a proposal on the table that not only includes casinos at the racetrack, but an entertainment district with additional hotels, a convention center, and a monorail.
State senators Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) and Vin Gopal (D-Tinton Falls) are pushing for a state constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park. New Jersey’s constitution currently restricts casino gaming to Atlantic City. The amendment requires voter approval.
“After we leave the world stage when the FIFA World Cup exits New Jersey, our next focus should be constructing a world-class convention center and casino at the Meadowlands and gaming at the Monmouth Racetrack,” Sarlo said. The legislation was introduced on May 12.
Meadowlands Racetrack owner Jeff Gural has been advocating for casinos since he purchased the facility in 2011. Before Gural took over, the racetrack was owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA).
“I have a total commitment toward getting a referendum in NJ passed next year that would allow casino gambling at the Meadowlands and only the Meadowlands,” Gural said.
“… we now have an excellent chance of having a temporary casino as early as 2027 and a permanent one in place by 2028,” the racetrack said in July.
Having the referendum question on the November 2026 ballot would require legislative approval by June 2026 to meet statutory deadlines. In 2016, voters rejected expanding casino gaming outside Atlantic City. At that time, New York City casino development was not in the works.
Gambling was approved in Atlantic City in 1976, and stakeholders have long argued that casino competition elsewhere in the state would upend revenue. Atlantic City casinos have seen their best summer in over 10 years.
Gural has said that the Meadowlands Racetrack is about 125 miles from Atlantic City, and would not be a direct competitor to its nine casinos. Yonkers Raceway, about 17 miles from North Jersey, and Aqueduct in New York, about 20 miles, have thousands of slot machines in addition to electronic table games.
The bill introduced by Sarlo and Gopal would direct 45% of racetrack casino revenue to reducing property taxes, 20% to special education aid, and the balance toward funding the state pension system and cost-of-living adjustments for retired state employees, supporting Atlantic City tourism, and supplementing horse racing purses.
