Jeff Gural, the operator of Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs in New York, is responding to pushback as he plans to expand the casino operations at his New Jersey racetrack.
Gural, who owns Meadowlands Racetrack, where a new casino is being considered, said he’s open to scaling down his plans for a destination resort at the venue amid pushback from gambling halls deep in South Jersey.
“Atlantic City is a destination resort, and we’re not building a destination resort in the Meadowlands,” said Gural, who has owned the Meadowlands Racetrack since 2011. “I’m not even sure if we’re going to have a hotel. We’re just looking to capture money that’s going to New York and Pennsylvania.”
State lawmakers hope to get a question on the ballot this November that would put New Jersey on a path to open two new casinos in the state: one at Monmouth Park, by the Jersey Shore, and one at the Meadowlands Racetrack in North Jersey.
Gural operated Tioga Downs as a harness racing track and then led the effort to secure a full gaming license from New York. Tioga Downs opened its casino in 2016 and he still manages the resort despite selling the casino for $175 million to Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., in 2024.
He also oversees Vernon Downs in Vernon, which offers video gaming, harness racing and simulcast horse racing betting.
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Gural believes casino in Meadowlands is ‘inevitable’
Proponents have argued that the two new casinos are vital in order to keep gambling dollars in New Jersey rather than risk losing them to new casinos already open or in the works in New York City.
In late April, Resorts World NYC became the first venue in New York City with table games, adding games such as blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette as part of the casino’s expansion at Aqueduct Raceway.
“New York casinos are considerably less convenient than a casino in the Meadowlands would be,” Gural said.
Think of the onerous traffic-snarled route from North Jersey to Aqueduct by way of the George Washington Bridge, Cross Bronx Expressway, Van Wyck Expressway and Belt Parkway, which can take an hour and 45 minutes or more, not to mention tolls.
“It would seem inevitable that there’s going to be a casino in the Meadowlands,” Gural said.
But the prospect has met fierce resistance from South Jersey lawmakers and from the Atlantic City casino owners, who argued that such a move could be the death knell for the seaside gambling town.
“The answer cannot be to cannibalize our own industry with additional in-state competition,” said state Sen. Vince Pollistina, a Republican who represents Atlantic City.
Gural and Dennis Drazen, the chief executive officer of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park, said they did not want to run the risk of hurting Atlantic City’s casinos, even if they proceed to secure gambling halls at the racetracks.
“Part of the process is to figure out a solution to try and protect Atlantic City,” Drazen said in a phone interview. “Even if nothing happened — no Monmouth Park, no Meadowlands — I think the casinos in Atlantic City are going to take a hit.”
What does the Meadowlands casino expansion look like?
“Initially, we would convert the existing facility into a temporary casino and racetrack, get it up and running,” Gural said. “Then, while that’s in place, we would be building an extension and merge the two at some point.”
Industry analysts have argued that a luxury resort-style feel would be necessary for any casino hoping to compete with online gambling.
“So much investment has gone into entertainment and hospitality, which is much more important than it has been in the past,” Corey Sharp, lead writer for the gambling trade publication PlayNJ.com, said last year. “New casinos proposed in the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park could face similar challenges.”
Those solely seeking convenience would more likely stick with online gambling rather than drive to a North Jersey casino — even if they tried the casino once out of curiosity, said Jane Bokunewicz, an associate professor with Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, which studies New Jersey’s casino market.
“Those seeking the full resort experience or a local getaway will likely choose an integrated casino resort with all its gaming and nongaming amenities,” she continued. “Expanding casino gaming to North Jersey will likely only serve to further saturate a gaming market that has already matured.”
Gural’s casino plans in NY also faced roadblocks
Tioga Downs’ journey from harness racing to a full-service casino with slot machines, gaming tables, a hotel and a plethora of food options was not a smooth one.
Gural’s initial proposal to gain a license from the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board was rejected as in favor of Lago Resort in Seneca County. The decision was a blow to the Southern Tier, which had pinned economic and tourism hopes on the Tioga County destination.
After strong lobbying from local and state officials, Gural was given the go-ahead to resubmit a plan and warned against simply putting “lipstick” on his previous proposal. The full-scale casino opened in December 2016 and expanded with sports betting in 2019.
Deadline approaching for casino ballot question
If a question were included on the November ballot, voters would specifically be asked if they want to amend the state constitution to allow two casinos outside of Atlantic City. If the voters approve it, that would trigger a lawmaking process in the Legislature.
To get a question on the ballot, the Legislature needs to approve the question once by a supermajority, or two years in a row by a simple majority. The deadline to take the first route is Aug. 3.
But Gural said he feared that many lawmakers wouldn’t likely convene during the summer, so a deadline of June 30, when budget season wraps up, would be his desired scenario.
“If we don’t get it this year, we’ll try again in the future,” said Vin Gopal, one of the Democratic state senators behind the casino expansion push. “[Once] New York’s up and running, we’re going to lose a lot of money.”
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Tioga Downs operator facing pushback in Meadowlands casino bid
Reporting by Daniel Munoz, NorthJersey.com / NorthJersey.com
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