New Poll Finds Majority Support for Casinos in North And Central New Jersey
Posted on: April 14, 2026, 08:41h.
Last updated on: April 14, 2026, 10:01h.
- New polling suggests New Jersey voters are willing to allow casinos in North and Central Jersey
- More than six in 10 voters would reportedly vote “yes” on a casino at the Meadowlands
- Three casinos are coming to New York City
A new poll in New Jersey finds growing support among the voting public to allow casinos outside of Atlantic City.
Months after New York greenlit two full-scale Las Vegas-like casino resorts in Queens and another in the Bronx, lawmakers and developers in neighboring New Jersey are once again looking at efforts to bring slot machines and table games north.
New polling suggests the public’s opinion has greatly shifted over the past decade, perhaps prompted by New York City’s casino developments.
Global Strategy Group recently surveyed 800 likely voters in New Jersey about casino gambling. With a margin of error of 3.5 points, the poll concluded that more than six in 10 (61%) favor allowing a casino at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The backing is bipartisan, with 64% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans saying they’d be willing to vote “yes” on a Meadowlands casino.
Support for a casino at Monmouth Park, which is in Central New Jersey, fielded 54% support.
Casinos Good for NJ
Global Strategy Group reported that 54% of those polled said they think casino gambling has been good for the Garden State. And allowing gaming outside of Atlantic City could retain critical gaming tax dollars that originate in North Jersey.
Voters recognize the benefits casinos bring to the state, making expansion a helpful solution to some of New Jersey’s challenges,” the research firm reported. “The revenue casinos bring to the state is beneficial, especially with the financial challenges voters recognize the state faces.”
Atlantic City’s nine casinos delivered $216.8 million in gaming taxes last year from their in-person play. Taxes from iGaming added $581.8 million, and sports wagering added $209.1 million for a grand total of more than $1 billion.
It’s unclear how much downstate New York casinos will impact New Jersey’s gaming industry. Atlantic City’s best assets could be its beach, family-friendly initiatives and attractions, and perceived value received.
Poll Financier
Meadowlands Racetrack operator Jeff Gural commissioned the Global Strategy Group poll on casino gambling outside of Atlantic City. Gural has long sought to expand the facility adjacent to the home of the NFL Giants and Jets into a casino resort.
While the track operates retail and mobile sports betting with FanDuel, Gural previously developed a proposal with Hard Rock International to bring casino gaming to the Meadowlands.
Hard Rock would now seemingly be an unlikely partner, as the company is partnered with billionaire Steve Cohen for the multibillion-dollar Metropolitan Park casino project in Willets Point.
Earlier this month, the Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll concluded that 50% of New Jersey voters do not wish to lift the boundary on casinos.
“People made up their minds about casino expansion a long time ago,” concluded Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and the executive director of the FDU Poll. “Unless something dramatic happens, putting the issue in front of voters is going to lead to the same outcome as it did before.”
Garden State residents were last asked to amend the New Jersey Constitution to permit casino gambling outside of Atlantic City in 2016. The ballot referendum was resoundingly defeated by a margin of 77-23%.
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