State senator says health care, higher education and convention investment must become central to the resort's future as thousands of casino jobs face potential risks.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — State Sen. Vince Polistina says Atlantic City has approximately three years to accelerate its economic transformation before major new casino developments in New York City intensify competition for the resort's gambling customers.
In an October 21 interview on The Don Williams Show on News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND, Polistina said the region must use the time to strengthen its convention industry, expand health care and higher education, and reduce its dependence on traditional casino gambling.
"I think we have, you know, my expectation is we have about a three-year window before New York fully comes online," Polistina said.
"And we really got to get moving and get some of the things done for Atlantic City that need to be done."
The warning comes as an economic analysis commissioned by the Atlantic County Economic Alliance identifies thousands of jobs that could be vulnerable to increased gambling competition and changes in consumer behavior.
The study estimates approximately 5,100 Atlantic County jobs could be exposed to risk by 2035 under its central scenario, with a larger potential impact if additional casinos are authorized in North Jersey.
Those figures represent modeled economic exposure, not a prediction that a specific number of workers will lose their jobs.
New York Competition Is Already Arriving
The threat Polistina describes is no longer theoretical.
New York regulators awarded three downstate casino licenses in December 2025, clearing the way for a major expansion of gambling in the New York City metropolitan area.
Resorts World New York City, which previously operated as a video lottery gaming facility in Queens, introduced live-dealer table games in April 2026.
Two additional projects — Hard Rock's Metropolitan Park development near Citi Field in Queens and a Bally's casino development in the Bronx — are targeting openings around 2030.
The projects could give residents of New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey additional gambling options without traveling to Atlantic City.
For decades, Atlantic City benefited from its position as one of the few major casino destinations in the Northeast.
That advantage has gradually eroded as neighboring states legalized casino gambling.
Polistina said Atlantic City's historic reliance on that market is no longer sustainable.
"Because we had a monopoly on gaming on the East Coast," he said, recalling the years when Atlantic City faced far less regional competition.
"Everybody just came to Atlantic City because we were the only area on the East Coast where you could gamble."
Now, he said, competition from Pennsylvania, New York and internet gambling has fundamentally changed the business.
'Gaming Is Not Going to Be a Huge Expansion Opportunity'
Polistina said Atlantic City cannot depend on casino gambling alone to produce significant future economic growth.
"We know that gaming is not going to be a huge expansion opportunity," he said.
"We need to do different things for Atlantic City."
The senator pointed to online gambling as another major challenge.
He said younger consumers increasingly encounter gambling and prediction-market products through smartphones, potentially changing their long-term entertainment habits.
"You're not going to see them in the next generation coming to Atlantic City to gamble," Polistina said. "They're going to do it on their phones."
His comments reflect concern that Atlantic City's casino hotels could face growing pressure even if overall gambling revenue continues to rise statewide.
New Jersey's internet gaming market has expanded rapidly, generating more revenue than Atlantic City's physical casino floors in some recent months.
However, online gambling revenue is not economically identical to money won inside casino hotels.
Physical casinos support hotel operations, restaurants, entertainment venues and thousands of workers whose jobs depend on customers visiting Atlantic City.
The distinction is central to concerns about the resort's long-term employment base.
A New Economic Strategy: Medicine and Education
Polistina said one of Atlantic City's most promising opportunities lies in developing a larger health care and higher education economy.
He cited several partnerships involving AtlantiCare, Stockton University and Temple University.
"Which is why the medical school that we're talking about in partnership with Temple and AtlantiCare, the nursing school with Stockton University, School of Social Work that we're talking about with Temple and with Stockton and AtlantiCare are just so important for the city of Atlantic City," Polistina said.
Those initiatives are moving beyond preliminary discussions.
AtlantiCare and Temple University have formalized an agreement to establish a regional campus of Temple's Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Atlantic City.
The first class is expected to begin in August 2029, with approximately 40 students per class.
The proposed medical campus is intended to help address physician shortages while creating educational and employment opportunities in South Jersey.
Separately, Stockton University and AtlantiCare announced a strategic alliance in May to establish the Stockton-AtlantiCare College of Community Health in Atlantic City.
The initiative is designed to expand education in nursing, health sciences, social work, public health and other health care professions.
Stockton's accelerated nursing program is also scheduled to move to its Atlantic City campus in 2027.
For Polistina, these developments represent an opportunity to create an economy that is less dependent on casino gambling.
"We do have, you know, a window here where we can diversify this economy in Atlantic City," he said.
"And it is going to take public investment through the investment alternative taxes, and it's going to take private investment from some of our anchor institutions like AtlantiCare to make this happen."
Convention Center Investment Remains a Priority
Polistina also emphasized that Atlantic City's convention industry must be strengthened.
The future of the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel and the need for additional investment in the Atlantic City Convention Center have generated considerable concern among business leaders and elected officials.
Polistina said the convention district needs improvements extending beyond the hotel itself.
"That is related to the Convention Center itself, the need to invest back into the Convention Center," he said.
He also discussed the potential relocation of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission from its location near the facility.
During the interview, Polistina described a previously considered proposal to build a new social-services facility on Golden Nugget-owned property along the White Horse Pike, with AtlantiCare potentially serving as operator.
That proposal has not received publicly confirmed final approval.
The senator views improvements to the convention district as part of a broader strategy to attract visitors for reasons other than gambling.
Convention business can support hotel occupancy, restaurants, transportation services and other local employers throughout the year.
Bipartisan Opposition to North Jersey Casinos
Polistina said a bipartisan coalition of South Jersey lawmakers is united in opposing proposals to authorize casinos outside Atlantic City.
He pointed to an October 20 gathering organized by regional economic development and business organizations, where elected officials and casino industry representatives discussed the potential consequences of additional competition.
Participants included Republican and Democratic legislators, along with Atlantic County officials.
Polistina specifically cited cooperation with Democratic Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan and other lawmakers who share concerns about the region's economic future.
"New Jersey cannot compete with itself as it relates to gaming," Polistina said.
"We have invested in Atlantic City. We must continue that investment."
The senator said he does not expect another North Jersey casino referendum in the immediate future, but he cautioned that the issue could return.
His assessment was that the current political environment offers Atlantic City a temporary opportunity to make progress before additional competition arrives.
The question of allowing casinos elsewhere in New Jersey remains controversial, with supporters arguing that new facilities could retain gambling revenue and jobs that might otherwise move to New York.
Opponents, including Polistina, argue that such expansion could further weaken Atlantic City's existing casino industry.
Calls for State Investment to Return to Atlantic City
Polistina said economic diversification will require more than private investment.
He called for changes in the way certain casino-related public revenues are directed, arguing that more funding should be available for redevelopment projects through the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.
"We must immediately get some of the investment alternative taxes that have gone to Atlantic City to pay down their debt, return to the CRDA," Polistina said.
He argued that those resources could help fund improvements and remove blight.
"We need Trenton to partner with us to get this done," he said.
Polistina pointed to ongoing cooperation with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and CRDA on projects including the Renaissance Plaza redevelopment and expansion of the National Aerospace Research and Technology Park.
He also praised regional institutions for participating in redevelopment efforts.
"All of our anchor institutions, AtlantiCare, Stockton University, South Jersey Gas, the Casino Association, all the individual casinos are all coming forward and understanding what a critical moment in time this is," he said.
The Stakes: Jobs and Atlantic County's Future
The urgency surrounding Atlantic City's economic transformation was reinforced by the Atlantic County Economic Alliance's casino employment exposure study.
The analysis examined several possible scenarios involving New York competition, online gambling, economic conditions and potential North Jersey casino expansion.
Under its central scenario, approximately 5,100 Atlantic County jobs could be at risk by 2035.
A more severe scenario involving additional North Jersey casinos identified exposure of roughly 8,000 jobs.
The report does not conclude that those losses are inevitable.
Instead, it illustrates the potential consequences if Atlantic City's casino economy faces several pressures simultaneously.
For Atlantic County, the stakes extend beyond casino workers.
Casinos purchase goods and services from local businesses, generate tourism activity and support jobs in industries ranging from food service to transportation.
A sustained decline in casino employment could therefore affect the broader regional economy.
At the same time, the medical education partnerships and redevelopment initiatives discussed by Polistina could create opportunities to diversify employment.
Those projects, however, will take years to fully develop.
A Race Against the Calendar
Polistina's three-year warning reflects the gap between the time required to develop new industries and the expected arrival of additional New York casinos.
The planned medical school campus is targeting its first class in 2029, while major New York casino projects are targeting 2030 openings.
That leaves Atlantic City facing a difficult timetable.
New educational programs, health care facilities and convention investments could strengthen the economy, but they will not all produce their full benefits immediately.
Polistina said cooperation between government, business and regional institutions will be essential.
"We can't do this against Trenton," he said. "We must do this with Trenton."
His message was that Atlantic City should use the time before New York's casino expansion reaches full scale to build a more diversified economy.
The city's casino industry will remain a major employer and economic engine.
But Polistina believes its future growth must increasingly come from industries beyond gambling.
"That's why Atlantic City has got to diversify and do things different than gaming," he said.
The next several years will test how quickly those plans can move from agreements and proposals into operating institutions, completed projects and new jobs.
About the Author
Scott Stephens
Scott has been an on-air personality, producer and newscaster for 30+ years. He has been a mainstay in the South Jersey Community and on the air across many different area stations. Scott can currently be heard on Kool 98.3 and News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND.
