Atlantic City, N.J., is showing signs of a rebound, after a decade-long decline led to the closing of five of 12 casinos, Bloomberg News reported. With two new venues set to open in 2018, Governor Phil Murphy (D) is projecting the highest casino-tax revenue in eight years — just as more competition has arrived or is coming in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. Murphy, who took office in January, already is taking steps to end the state takeover of Atlantic City that was pushed by his predecessor, Republican Chris Christie (R), and opposed by local officials, unions and residents. At the same time, Pennsylvania, which overtook Atlantic City as the second-largest U.S. gambling market in 2012, now allows betting at truck stops and airports and has cleared the way for a second Philadelphia casino. “The Northeast is just a disaster waiting to happen,” said Alan Woinski, president of Gaming USA, a Paramus, New Jersey-based gambling consulting company. “There will be closings in the next few years.”
