Hard Rock still (distantly) eyes New Jersey casino near NYC

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Even after spending a half-billion dollars on an Atlantic City casino, Hard Rock still hopes to build one in northern New Jersey near New York City one day.

Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen said the company has made significant investments of money and time preparing for casino gambling at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford.

“We have an ownership in the Meadowlands, and we have an exclusive right to operate the (casino) gaming operation there,” he said.

A proposal to allow that was resoundingly defeated by voters in 2016. But Allen said the company has not dropped the idea.

Speaking Thursday at the opening of Hard Rock’s new casino at what used to be the Trump Taj Mahal, Allen said every study projects a casino at the Meadowlands would do well, with 14 million people living within 50 miles of it.

“Yes, we would certainly be interested,” he said Thursday.

An Associated Press analysis of the Meadowlands casino proposal in 2016 found it could be among the most successful in the country — at least until a casino is opened in New York City itself, if that ever happens.

Jeff Gural, who operates the Meadowlands track, estimates a Meadowlands casino would take in $800 million to $900 million a year from gamblers, ranking it among the most successful in the nation. Some analysts think a Meadowlands casino could exceed $1 billion in annual revenue, at least before it has a nearby competitor in northern New Jersey.

And since that time, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for all 50 states to legalize sports betting, which New Jersey quickly did. The Meadowlands plans to start taking sports bets on July 15.