Legal poker in NJ and a plan to salvage Monmouth Park

[shane88888]

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Interesting idea, and a good post, but there is little chance of this actually happening, ever.

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Thank you, though I think "ever" is a little strong.

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Even if they do break AC's monopoly on gaming, slots would be far preferable to poker. Slots do not require dealers, utilize less floorspace and require less people-power overall to stay in operation. More Employees = More Payroll.

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All very good points. Slots would be preferable for the track for all those reasons. However, getting AC to concede slots is a far bigger hurdle than the logistical problems a poker room would present. By the way, I'm not trying to be a dick anywhere in this thread - I just want to clean up my arguments.

At Monmouth current facility, floorspace would not be a significant problem. The place is massive, and, save for one or two days a season, never filled.

Also, this is a government-run facility, not a private and efficiently-run enterprise. More payroll and more jobs is never a problem for government, though this might imply a kick in the crotch for players via the rake. However, this is New Jersey, the same NJ that briefly shut down non-essential government operations just a few years ago. Now I don't know what to think.

Though mismanagement is inevitable (read about NJ's EZPass fiasco), this will probably only affect Monmouth Park through non-maximized, but still additional, poker revenue. Hopefully NJ will never use the "we can't do this because we'll screw it up excuse."

Obviously, the only way to ensure sound management and maximize both revenue and player utility is to install me as the manager, and name it Shane's Room at Monmouth Park.

I will be sure to emphasize the creation of jobs (while deftly downplaying the drawbacks), so thank you for the input.

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There was talk back in the 80's about bringing gaming to Asbury Park to help revitalize it. That was quickly dismissed.

I will, however, keep my eyes open for a story in the APP.

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Gaming would have been horrible for Asbury, but then again, how would anyone tell it had gotten any worse? The locals have enough problems without dumping what money they have into 83% minimum-return slot machines.

I love the City of Asbury Park, and it is nice to see that the influx of, shall we say, "fancy" people to Asbury has lead to a nice little renaissance. Not enough good things can happen to that town.

[Wyman]

On the other hand, this would make going to the Home Depot/Monmouth Mall more nightmarish, as traffic on Rt. 36 would be worse than it already is on race day =)

But hell, I'm in favor of it. We could certainly use the revenue. I especially agree about letting local vendors do the food; the NY/NJ area (home sweet home) has some of the best food in the country.

[shane88888]

Yeah, Rt. 36 is awful. I hope expanding the road was already on the state's agenda.

It's gotten worse with the thousands of condos built in Long Branch (as if eminent domaining people out of there homes wasn't disgraceful enough).

[poker327]

Video Video Lottery Terminals suggested for Meadowlands

Two senators want to put in video lottery terminals at the Meadowlands. My guess is the AC lobby will prevent this from happening, but it is only a matter of time before additional gambling is created at racetracks.

[Osprey]

I guess I just don't understand why horse racing tracks still exist if so many of them need to be revitalized. If people aren't interested in betting on horses going round and round, well, let them go out of business.

[Gonso]

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I used to live in NJ, the only talk I ever heard was how gambling ruined AC.

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A lot of people have said that, but it's really not the case. Born here, raised here (specifically, here), and both of my jobs are within city limits. I think I've heard that 200 times.

The real truth is that AC was in bad shape long before the casinos got here. Back in the day -and I mean like '100 years ago' back- it was a very successful resort. It had a couple of depressions and bounced back, but prior to the casinos opening it was just a poor, run down city.

When the casinos came, it was still poor and run down, but a lot of jobs were created. A lot of the people living in the city were able to get better jobs, earn a better income, and move out of Atlantic City. They're generally replaced with immigrant workers who generally have less earning power.

You might not see a lot of the wealth in the city, but I garauntee you that a lot of people (myself included) benefit greatly from the industry being here.

Side note: I think AC will do it's best to prevent competition, but if not, hey.

[ChrisConstantine]

If you're serious and you should be, forget the letter to the editor and call to schedule a meeting with your local state legislator. He or she will take you seriously and tell you why it would never work OR refer you to other legislators that may be interested.

There are a few Pennyslvania state legislators that have already proposed this for the casinos there and you should mention that to your representative.

[shane88888]

Thanks for the input.

Do you, or anyone else, know of any online resources to help prepare for such a meeting? I guess I'll start by finding a copy of PA's bill.

I've already checked out the PPA site.