Support Dropping For Casinos In New Jersey Beyond Atlantic City, Poll Says
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new poll shows support lessening for plans to expand casinos in New Jersey beyond Atlantic City.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Monday also shows a slight majority supports a proposed constitutional amendment to dedicate gas taxes to the state's transportation trust fund.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents oppose casino expansion, while 35 percent support it. In January, a poll found 50 percent were opposed and 42 percent in favor.
The poll found 51 percent of registered voters surveyed support the gas tax amendment, while 34 percent are opposed. That's virtually unchanged from a poll taken in January.
Both proposals will be on the November ballot.
If approved, the casino question would authorize the construction of two casinos in separate counties in northern New Jersey that would cost at least $1 billion apiece.
Locations are not specified, but the most talked-about proposals are at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, where track operator Jeff Gural and Hard Rock International want to add a casino, and in Jersey City, where footwear magnate Paul Fireman proposes a casino resort costing up to $5 billion.
The gas tax amendment would dedicate all existing and future tax revenue to the Transportation Trust Fund. The amendment was meant to coincide with a possible increase in the gas tax. New Jersey currently has the second-lowest gas tax in the nation at 14.5 cents per gallon.
Hundreds of transportation projects across New Jersey came to a halt Friday for at least a week as the state looks for money to pay for the work after a deal between lawmakers and Republican Gov. Christie fell apart.
New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Monday that he plans to meet with Christie this week to discuss possible compromises.
``I'm open to anything that gets this done, so long as it doesn't break the budget,'' he told reporters.
The telephone poll of 712 registered voters conducted from June 22-26 has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
