from the USTA Communications Department

Columbus, OH — According to a report on NJ.com, New Jersey voters Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to expand casino gambling to the northern part of the state, meaning Atlantic City will retain its four-decade monopoly on gaming.

The ballot question appears on pace to fail by more than 1.5 million votes, according to projections by the Associated Press, which would make it the largest margin of defeat for any referendum the state has ever seen.

The referendum, which asked voters to amend the state constitution to allow two casinos to be built at least 72 miles north of Atlantic City, was one of the more unusual ones in New Jersey history.

It sparked fierce arguments across the state, drew a record amount of spending among interest groups for and against the idea, and the group supporting the plan — Our Turn NJ — ended its advertising campaign more than a month before Election Day when polling looked dismal.

The men who funded that group, Reebok CEO Paul Fireman and Meadowlands Racetrack’s Jeff Gural, said in a statement Tuesday night that they were “disappointed but not surprised” by the result.

To read the full story on NJ.com, click here.