Lesniak pledges to bring bill back to Governor's desk
Bill sponsor shrugs off setback and says he looks forward to working with Governor Christie to get internet wagering up and running as soon as possible.
Senator Raymond Lesniak has pledged to bring internet gaming legislation back to the Governor’s desk, after Governor Christie issued an absolute veto of his S490 bill earlier today.
Lesniak said in a statement: “While the Governor expressed concern with some aspects of the bill today, he’s committed to the general idea that we have to expand gaming product in order to bring our gaming industry back from the brink of fiscal insolvency. I’m encouraged that he’s expressed an interest to work together to maintain the core idea behind Internet wagering while making sure that such operations cannot be hijacked by unscrupulous operators.”
The Union County Senator however said that the state could not afford to delay: “We need to work as quickly as possible to bring this bill back to the Governor’s Desk, and position Atlantic City to become the Silicon Valley of the high-tech gaming sector, and by leading the way, we position the Garden State to reap the benefits of getting in on the ground floor of a multi-million dollar market.”
Lesniak argued that the state could not afford to lose out to other states as it had done over the federal ban on sportsbetting.
“Every year, New Jersey-based casinos lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs because the federal ban on sports wagering gives casinos in Las Vegas and other states around the nation an unfair advantage.”
Citing an “independent study” that Internet gaming will produce a minimum of US$35m in new tax revenues, US$210m in gross revenues for Atlantic City’s casino industry, 1,500 jobs for Atlantic City residents, and US$70m in direct personal income from new jobs, Lesniak stated that: “The Governor and I both recognize that New Jersey cannot afford to leave those dollars and jobs on the table”.
He concluded: “I look forward to working with Governor Christie and his administration in order to get Internet wagering up and running as soon as possible. At the end of the day, Internet wagering will be one of the most important tools to help promote New Jersey’s gaming industry and create much needed jobs for our State residents. We cannot let this opportunity slip through our grasp.”