New Jersey Casino Association Has New President, Tenure Will Coincide With NYC Market Introduction
Posted on: March 11, 2026, 03:32h.
Last updated on: March 11, 2026, 03:32h.
- Hard Rock Atlantic City CEO is heading up the Casino Association of New Jersey
- The trade group represents the nine casinos in Trenton
The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) has a new leader in George Goldhoff, the president and CEO of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Goldhoff was named the top executive at Hard Rock’s Atlantic City Boardwalk property in January 2023. He arrived in New Jersey from Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, where Goldhoff was president for three years and managed to turn the Ohio property into the city’s market leader.
Goldhoff’s more than three years in Atlantic City have also been fruitful for Hard Rock International. He’s now assuming the top position at CANJ, the group that represents the nine casinos’ collective voice in Trenton. Goldhoff replaces Mark Giannantonio, the Resorts Casino Hotel president, who has served as CANJ president for almost four years.
Critical Timing
Goldhoff was elected by the members of the Casino Association of New Jersey. The trade group consists of all nine Atlantic City casinos, including Bally’s, Borgata, Caesars, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Harrah’s, Ocean Casino, Resorts, and Tropicana.
It is an honor to step into the role of Casino Association of New Jersey president and continue the strong foundation that Mark Giannantonio helped build. The Atlantic City casino industry plays a vital role in our state’s economy, from supporting jobs, to driving investment and attracting visitors from across the region. I look forward to working alongside our members, local officials and state leaders to build on this momentum and further strengthen Atlantic City’s position as a world-class resort destination,” said Goldhoff.
Giannantonio said it has been “a privilege” to lead CANJ, and he remains “deeply passionate” about Atlantic City and its gaming industry.
Goldhoff enters just three months after three full-scale casino projects in downstate New York were authorized. Bally’s Bronx, Metropolitan Park, and Resorts World New York City are expected to poach some business from Atlantic City, though the impact won’t be known for some time.
Goldhoff’s employer is part of one of the three NYC casino developments in Metropolitan Park. Hard Rock is teamed with Steve Cohen for the $8 billion integrated resort project next to the billionaire’s Citi Field Ballpark, home to his MLB New York Mets.
NYC in Focus
As full-scale casinos with slot machines, live dealer table games, and sports betting come to the Bronx and Queens, there are discussions about whether New Jersey should authorize casinos in the central and northern parts of the state.
Jane Bokunewicz, the director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, says the NYC casinos will likely hurt Atlantic City after they open, as people want to check out the new properties. But in the long run, she thinks Atlantic City will be fine because it has much to offer that New York does not in its famed Boardwalk, beach, and value-received restaurants and amenities.
In the long run, Atlantic City has a lot of unique properties that New York doesn’t have. While New York’s properties will soon boast many of the same dining and entertainment amenities that have long been available in Atlantic City, they will never have the beach and historic Boardwalk,” said Bokunewicz.
The locations of the NYC casinos were likely a winner for New Jersey and Atlantic City, as accessing Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, Willets Point in Queens, and Jamaica near JFK International Airport isn’t exactly an easy commute from Central and North Jersey.
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