New Jersey Senate Can't Overturn Veto Protecting Carl Icahn

This story was published more than 7 years ago.

There was a bit of drama among New Jersey lawmakers this week, as the state senate was unable to overturn a veto by Governor Chris Christie of a bill that would keep billionaire Carl Icahn from purchasing a casino in the state.

The original bill passed by the House and Senate would have kept any casino owner that closed a casino in Atlantic City from opening a new space for five years, as their gaming license would effectively be suspended for the period. That bill was specifically made to punish Carl Icahn, who purchased the Trump Taj Mahal casino out of bankruptcy, and opted to close it soon after, as he was unable to come to an agreement with the casino's employee union regarding pensions.

Governor Christie vetoed the bill, and yesterday the Senate voted to try to override that veto. They were unsuccessful doing that though, as they only reached 24 of the 27 necessary votes to reinstate the measure. It appears that the measure still has a sliver of hope though, as the bill was pulled before an official vote was taken, and several lawmakers such as Senator Raymond Lesniak were absent at the time.

Icahn has stated that he now plans to sell the Trump Taj Mahal as a result of the bill, noting that it was the last straw and that doing business in Atlantic City simply isn't worth it.

About the author

Dustin Jermalowicz // News Editor
Dustin Jermalowicz
Dustin has a long-standing passion for gambling. He has been writing professionally on the subject and breaking industry news for Casino Listings since 2011. His favorite casino games include Blackjack, Poker, and Hi/Lo. A proud native of Detroit, Dustin currently lives in Michigan.
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bgsharpe
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14 February 2017 - 11:53pm
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Well that bill makes sense to me and if prevent just one "businessman" of doing his games it would still be something I thing, hopefully they will override the veto of the governor who obviously is "interested" in some way of that guy prosperity, or at least looks this way.