Gambling news from http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
Blackjack dealer Emmanuel Villamil estimates that last month's three-day government shutdown of the casino industry cost him more than $300 in salary and tips — money he will never get back.
Villamil, of Egg Harbor Township, isn't politically active, but the shutdown has angered him enough to do something that he hasn't done before: vote. On Thursday, he took the first step by registering with the election board.
“There was no good reason for the politicians to shut down the casinos,” Villamil said.
Casinos hope that thousands of other gaming employees will join Villamil in signing up to vote in the November election. The gaming industry launched a voter registration drive Thursday to bring its workers together in one powerful voting bloc that could dramatically influence Trenton politics in the casinos' favor.
“In doing so, we want to impress upon our elected officials that our industry is a force that should not be neglected or taken for granted,” said Joseph A. Corbo Jr., president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, the trade group representing Atlantic City's 12 gaming halls.
Casinos have conducted employee voter registration drives before, but the effort has been resurrected with far more conviction and planning than in the past, gaming executives said. The impetus was the unprecedented casino shutdown on July 5-7, caused when the state budget impasse forced New Jersey gaming inspectors off the job.
“(As) we were vividly reminded during the government shutdown a little more than a month ago, like it or not, the reality is that our industry is intertwined with government,” Corbo said during a press conference announcing the voter registration drive.
The casinos, which have about 45,000 workers, are the largest private employers in southern New Jersey. Corbo estimated that the employees and their families represent a potential voting bloc in the hundreds of thousands.
“We wish to demonstrate to our government officials that we stand united as an industry, representing 45,000 employees, many of whom understand that for the sake of their livelihoods that it is important to be heard,” Corbo said. “In our great country, the most effective way to do this is to exercise one's right to vote.”
Casinos plan to use their political clout for new legislation that would prevent them from being closed down by another budget crisis. Some lawmakers have proposed reclassifying state gaming inspectors to make them “essential employees” who would remain on the job even during a government shutdown.
The gaming industry is also lobbying to prevent any increase in the 8 percent state tax on casino revenue and to block slot machine-like video lottery terminals from being installed at New Jersey's horseracing tracks. Casinos are also pushing to preserve their exemption from the state's indoor smoking ban that began last April.
The shutdown cost the casinos an estimated $50 million to $55 million in gambling revenue. More than 20,000 employees were temporarily furloughed and lost an estimated $9 million in tips and wages.
“The casino closure was an unfortunate ‘first' in the 28-year history of legalized gambling in New Jersey. We cannot allow this to happen again,” Corbo said.
Villamil, the Caesars blackjack dealer, said the salary and tips that he lost caused him great financial hardship. He blamed state lawmakers for the shutdown and said he would not forget them when he steps into the voting booth in November.
“Now I will have the power to vote,” he said.
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