Today [June 28] is the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey Senate’s approval of my resolution submitting to the voters of New Jersey a proposed amendment to the state’s Constitution to permit the establishment of casino gaming in Atlantic City.
At the urging of the local “Committee to Rebuild Atlantic City,” the voters approved the amendment in November, and in June 1977, Gov. Brendan Byrne signed into law the Casino Control Act, the legislation that I introduced after the referendum to establish the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and authorize casino operations in Atlantic City. The first casino, Resorts International, opened on Memorial Day weekend in May 1978.
