Out of Commission

Some of my former colleagues at New Jersey Casino Control Commission often joke that once you retire, or leave, the Commission you are “out of commission”. I was asked what my life was like “out of commission”. I gave it some though and I came to a sad realization that I don’t think I have focused on too much. Life “out of commission” has left me feeling a bit irrelevant. I feel suddenly like an outsider when, for close to ten years, I was intimately involved with major issues that impacted the City, the region and the State.

As a member of the Casino Control Commission I had the added benefit of being the Commission’s representative on the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) for a brief period and for the entire length of my term on the commission I served as the Commission’s representative to the Atlantic City Special Improvement District.

I served as a Commissioner at a very exciting time in Atlantic City. I began my service in January of 2002. At that time the Borgata was under construction and there was excitement in town. Atlantic City would have its first new casino in over 10 years. Prior to that the last casino to be constructed and open was the Trump Taj Mahal in 1990. What an exciting time to be a gaming regulator. Borgata brought new entities to the market. Boyd Gaming and MGM were making their debuts in Atlantic City. Borgata’s operators had all sorts of new and innovative ideas for their new casino, some of which would require the Commission to take a fresh look at the way things had been done in gaming in New Jersey.

Needless to say, in 2004 when Borgata opened it changed Atlantic City forever. Borgata ushered in a new standard for what casino patrons could come to expect from Atlantic City casinos. Borgata also forced the rest of the industry to take a look at themselves and shape up or be left behind.

At or near the same time that Borgata was coming on line, The Walk, the outlet retail complex broke ground and soon opened with tremendous success. The days of going into an Atlantic City casino and never seeming the light of day until you were ready to go home was over. Soon after we were presented with new ideas at the commission such as joint partnerships like the House of Blues at Showboat and the House of Blues themed gaming area. We were also presented with the concept of the Pier at Caesars and The Quarter at Tropicana.

These were exciting times. Speaking of Tropicana, there was the issue of the license denial and all that followed. The saga of the Trop license denial, the conservatorship, and the effort to sell the property in the absolute worst economic climate in recent history.

All of this excitement was going on in the City and we were right in the middle of all of it. As I said earlier it was an exciting time and I absolutely felt that I had a significant role in all of that which was occurring.

While I certainly don’t suggest that I was the most gaming savvy employee at the Commission, I feel that I brought some unique qualities to the panel and the organization as a whole. I had the benefit of having grown up in Atlantic City with the industry and of having been an observant young man. I also had the benefit of having worked in the industry for 5 summers following high school. I also brought my common sense approach to the issues

However a Commissioner is only allowed to serve two terms and must then rotate off of the board. Being an attorney, when you leave the commission you carry with you, as a parting gift, a two-year post-employment restriction which prevents you from working for any law firm that does gaming working the State. Every firm in my area either does or would like to do gaming work so my option was to open my own place. Practicing alone has been quite a challenge. I have been on my own for the past three and one half years, but I have continued to watch with considerable interest the trials of the gaming industry.

Upon leaving the commission i did have the opportunity to stay connected to gaming. I did some consulting work in a couple different jurisdictions but those were very limited engagements. My passion is with my home, Atlantic City. So I continue to watch the developments and struggles of the industry in these tough times, however I feel I am a spectator now. I am “out of Commission.”