Never mind that casino expansion in New Jersey will probably be routed at the ballot box on Nov. 8. Real estate mogul Miles Berger suddenly wants in, saying he has a 
‘preliminary partnership’ with an existing Atlantic City casino operator (and wouldn’t we love to know who this traitor is) to put a casino in Newark. “I know there has been a big advertising campaign against the referendum and that the polling has not been good,” Berger told USA Today, “but even if we had to wait another two years that would not be a deterrent.” In that respect Berger’s more optimistic than Democratic pol Ralph Caputo, who says, “If we get clocked we’re not coming back.”
“You can’t beat the location,” Berger said of his site, which is near rail, light rail and several highways. Said just like a real estate man: Location, location, location. And Berger actually seems to live in the real world, unlike Jersey City rival Paul Fireman, who thinks he’s sitting on a $25 billion per year market. Yes, billion with a “b.”
* Sour-faced prude Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) claims the California casino market is oversaturated. We hate to say it but there’s evidence she may be right. After sitting on a 2011 gaming compact for five years, the Pinoleville Pomo Nation is allowing the lease to lapse on a Ukiah site that was designated for a casino. The tribe is going to diversify into marijuana cultivation instead.
* Never mind that Internet gambling and daily fantasy sports have been approved by the Pennsylvana House, the sand is running out of the hourglass in the state Senate. As of yesterday, it had three days in which to take action and was showing no inclination to do so. This throws up into the air the question of where ineffectual Gov. Tom Wolf (D) intends to find the additional $100 million in gaming revenue he promised to deliver. In a side skirmish, Penn National Gaming is at odds with PokerStars over how Net betting should be delivered to the Keystone State. Penn wants it to go strictly through established casino providers, while PokerStars would see online operators get equal access. Watch this space.
