NJ Casino News: Weekly Roundup

Get the latest casino news and updates in New Jersey for this week (June 19, 2021 – June 25, 2021).

MGM Now Offering Charter Flights to Borgata

Tavelers from 75 U.S. cities will be able to fly directly into Atlantic City International Airport with Sun Country Airlines. This news comes just two weeks after Hard Rock International announced their own charter service. It’s part of a push from Borgata and parent company MGM Resorts International to expand their services and capture more audiences:

“The expansion of Borgata’s flight service through ACY on Sun Country Airlines significantly increases the airport’s charter offerings and affords more passengers convenient access to Atlantic City,” said [Tim Kroll, director of the Atlantic City International Airport]. “The program is valuable to introducing the market to a greater number of communities throughout the U.S.”

New Jersey Asks to Declare Online Gambling Legal

Since the Obama administration, states like New Jersey have made online gambling legal within their borders, working under the determination that the Federal Wire Act did not prohibit online betting. The U.S. Justice Department under the Trump administration changed its interpretation of the Wire Act in January 2019, sending Atlantic City casinos into a tizzy:

New Jersey and 26 other states have asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to rescind the Trump administration decision and go back to the agency’s original interpretation of the Wire Act. Garland was nominated by President Joe Biden, who was vice president when Justice first issued its opinion more than a decade ago.

“It’s time for DOJ to lift the fog of ambiguity surrounding this important national issue,” state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said.

New Jersey Will Vote on College Sports Betting This Fall

The state Senate approved a resolution on June 3 to permit sports betting on New Jersey college sports. On June 24, the New Jersey Assembly voted 70-4 on the resolution as well, meaning that it will now go to voters this fall to make it official. Gamblers in New Jersey have been able to bet on out-of-state college games since 2018, but this would open up the ability to bet on home teams:

A decade ago, New Jersey voters backed a referendum to permit sports betting at Atlantic City casinos and at state racetracks — in direct defiance of PASPA. The NFL and four other sports organizations sued the state in 2012 and won a series of court rulings before the nation’s top court agreed to review the matter in 2017.

With nearly two-thirds of voters supporting the previous referendum even as it seemed to violate federal law, the expectation is that this referendum could pass even more easily. Naysayers who predicted an increase in “fixing games” due to the legalization of sports betting instead have seen no such activity.

Atlantic City Closer to Remaining Under State Control for Four More Years

On June 21, state lawmakers passed a bill to extend the state’s takeover of Atlantic City for another four years. It simply needs to be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy to become law. The hope is that this can still offer Atlantic City the support it needs to eventually regain its self-governance:

The government takeover was proposed by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, and enacted in the Democrat-controlled state Legislature in 2016.

It was designed to help the state reign in runaway expenses, high taxes, and poor governance in the seaside gambling resort that, despite the presence of the casino industry, had enduring financial woes. Appeals from the casinos successfully challenging their tax assessments blew large holes in the city’s budget.

… The city’s financial situation has improved since the takeover began, and Wall Street ratings firms have upgraded the city’s fiscal outlook.