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AUGUST 21, 2016 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2016, 1:21 AM

Harrison: Casino referendum ad wars heat up

BY BRIGID HARRISON

THE RECORD

IN A PRESS conference last week, Governor Christie announced that he would vote for the proposal that will appear in a referendum on November's ballot, which calls for expanding legalized casino gaming to North Jersey. 

The question is an important one, and one in which you have as much say as the governor. At stake are not just the potential jobs that new casinos would bring, but also the impact of these new facilities on their host communities, on the regional transportation infrastructure, and on the cost when government focuses on economic development using gaming halls rather than other potentially more profitable or sustainable industries.
The question is also tricky one, one on which every voter in the state must now decide his or her position. And where you stand depends on what your interests are.
The outcome of the casino question is still up in the air. Several recent polls have found that a majority of New Jersey voters oppose the proposed expansion. Another survey found that Garden State evenly divided between supporting and opposing. Some voters have yet to make up their minds.
That can clearly be seen by those trying to influence your vote.

The Genting Group, a Malaysian-based conglomerate that runs Resorts World Casino, the profitable racetrack and virtual casino at Aqueduct in Queens, is teaming up with some of the South Jersey-based anti-expansion entities unified under the moniker "Trenton's Bad Bet," which calls itself "a diverse collection of concerned New Jersey community leaders, unions, businesses and residents that will work to oppose the New Jersey Casino Referendum that seeks to expand gaming into North Jersey."
Genting has already started purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of anti-referendum ads. Its interests are clear: It wants to protect its piece of the gaming pie. If casinos open in North Jersey, presumably fewer gamblers will be heading to Aqueduct, meaning lower profits and fewer jobs. Fair enough. And it is worth noting that cannibalization of the gaming market has been largely responsible for declining profits in Atlantic City, which is why Trenton's Bad Bet is not such a strange alliance of competitors.

Union opposes expansion
Perhaps less predictably, the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, the labor union that represents hotel and casino workers in New York (and some 5,000 in New Jersey), also opposes expansion. It has purchased a six-figure ad buy, which union leaders anticipate will be increased to more than a million dollars before voting in the referendum begins. The union opposes expansion because of the fears that new casinos will take away already existing jobs and that, unlike New York's casino law, the New Jersey proposal does not include a "labor peace provision," which would ban casino operators from stopping or hindering any efforts by organized labor to unionize the workers.
The union ad criticizes the referendum because municipalities will not be allowed a say in whether a casino will be located there, characterizing it as "Another bait and switch from the insiders of Trenton. We've seen what they've done in Atlantic City: Crime, bankruptcy, foreclosure. That's the Trenton game, and Trenton can't be trusted."
Support from developers
On the flip side, there are some "pro-referendum" interests out there: Jeff Gural, a New York City-based developer who owns a racetrack in the Meadowlands, and Paul Fireman, the former Reebok chairman, have joined forces to form Our Turn NJ, and have purchased "pro" radio and television ads. Each has a clear interest in the outcome of the referendum: They've proposed building casinos. Their ads claim: "New York and Pennsylvania have stolen billions of our gaming revenue, robbing us of dollars to fund programs like Meals-on-Wheels and the property tax freeze. Vote yes and support gaming expansion in Northern New Jersey to protect our seniors."
It is safe to say that every ad you hear concerning expansion of casinos in North Jersey was purchased by a group or individuals who have a vested interested in the outcome. Their motivation is not necessarily what's best for the state or its fiscal future. That's not to say their interests do not coincide with yours, but don't let them fool you into thinking that they are one and the same.
Brigid Callahan Harrison is a professor of political science and law at Montclair State University, where she teaches courses in American government. A frequent commentator on state and national politics, she is the author of five books on American politics. Like her on Facebook at Brigid Callahan Harrison. Follow her on Twitter @BriCalHar.