Atlantic City Casinos Ordered Closed will las vegas be next
Atlantic City Casinos Ordered Closed
TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey's state government was all but shut down Monday, with state lawmakers and the governor unable to agree on a state budget.
The two sides met for nearly four hours Sunday night but couldn't cut a deal.
As part of the dispute, Atlantic City's casinos have been ordered to close Wednesday.
The shutdown, now in its third day, is a result of the New Jersey Legislature's failure to adopt a budget by its July 1 deadline.
The head of the Casino Control Commission ordered gaming in Atlantic City to cease at 8 a.m. Wednesday if New Jersey fails to enact a budget by then.
Atlantic City's 12 casinos have appealed to the courts to intervene.
Gov. Jon Corzine said there's "no immediate prospect of a budget." New Jersey state parks, beaches and historic sites also were expected to shut down Wednesday.
If the casinos shut down, the state would lose an estimated $2 million in tax revenue each day they stayed closed. Republican Assemblyman Francis Blee, whose district includes the casinos, said it was important for them to remain open.
"We will have tens of thousands of individuals, real people, that are going to be hurt by this," he said. "There will be bread-winners who are not bringing home a paycheck."
Corzine shut down nonessential government services Saturday after the Legislature failed to adopt a budget by its July 1 deadline, leaving the state without the means to spend money.
Budget talks became heated this year as Corzine, a Democrat, proposed increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to help overcome a $4.5 billion budget deficit.
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