Casino Referendum Not Going To Voters This Year: Report

New Jersey voters will not be asked in November if they favor expanding casino gambling outside of Atlantic City.

Senate President Steve Sweeney confirmed that the clock on the procedural calendar ran out on officials Tuesday to get the question on the November ballot, a report by the Associated Press on NorthJersey.com states.

Sweeney had previously said he was skeptical of an Assembly plan to expand gambling to Bergen, Essex, and Hudson counties. He, along with Governor Christie, previously said that part of any tax revenue collected from North Jersey casinos should be given to Atlantic City casinos to help them recover. Four Atlantic City casinos closed in 2012.

Aug. 3 is the deadline to get an a question on the ballot asking if the state’s Constitution should be amended to allow a casino to be built in North Jersey. Lawmakers would have to pass it with three-fifths majority in both the state Assembly and state Senate.

The amendment would have to sit for 20 days and a public hearing would need to be held, meaning, the process would have to start this month.

“Just do the math,” Sweeny told the AP.

There are plans to build casinos in the Meadowlands and Jersey City. Officials have previously said the resistance for a North Jersey casino has been “contrived” by South Jersey lawmakers.

Hard Rock International and Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment have said a casino at the Meadowlands could bring in as much as $400 million in state tax revenue and create up to 10,000 jobs.

Assemblyman Scott Rumana (District 40) said on NJ 101.5 Tuesday night that, for now, the discussion about a North Jersey casino has stopped.

“We should have gotten input from the public,” Ruaman said on a special town hall talk “Gambling on NJ’s Future” the radio station hosted.

“Sadly, it didn’t move forward,” Rumana said.