TRENTON — While testifying at the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee hearing at the Meadowlands on Wednesday, Assemblyman Tim Eustace unveiled a proposal to seek voter approval to allow temporary, or “pop-up casinos,” during special events to boost New Jersey’s economy by capitalizing on an influx in visitors.

“While the Governor has touted several exciting events coming to Northern New Jersey over the next two years including The Grand Prix, Wrestlemania and the 2014 Super Bowl, all of these events would be more economically fruitful if we also had a casino to complement them,” said Eustace (D-Maywood.)

“Like a county fair, a carnival or a music festival that takes place in a parking lot and within a week disappears, a pop-up casino could be created in a similar way. With events coming to Northern New Jersey and thousands of tourists descending on our communities we could entertain them on our side of the New York and Pennsylvania border. Once the influx of tourists is gone, so too would the pop-up casino,” he added.

According to Eustace, the “pop-up casinos” would create thousands of temporary jobs and funnel millions of dollars into New Jersey’s economy. “Atlantic City would still be the destination location we’re trying to make it,” he said. “We would just be adding to our coffers for important projects that gaming money is used to support.”

The assemblyman intends to propose a four-year pilot program using “pop-up casinos” as a test to see what kind of impact a casino at the Meadowlands might have on Atlantic City.

“I believe we’ll see potential for our state to compete with Nevada as number one in gaming and with that we’ll be able to create more opportunities for our residents,” said Eustace.

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