NJ.com – Gov. Chris Christie said today that he still expects online gambling in New Jersey to produce about $1 billion in casino revenue by July 1.
Industry analysts have said Christie’s projection — part of the current state budget, which anticipates $160 million in tax revenue from the venture — is far too optimistic. As the state gave six casinos permission to begin operating internet gambling websites last week, analysts said they expect about $300 million in revenue by this time next year.
But Christie said he was undeterred. At a press conference at the statehouse in Trenton, the governor said his projections remain the same.
“Same as they were before,” Christie said.
There’s no clear indications of how well the first week of internet gambling went. The state Division of Gaming Enforcement said 37,277 accounts had been created by last Thursday, but regulators there had not audited those numbers. And with more than a dozen websites up and running, some people could have created accounts at multiple sites.
Still, Christie said he was impressed.
“That’s pretty good in a week,” he said today. “I’m not worried.”
