The Zimmerman Agency is helping client Hard Rock International pitch a billion-dollar casino hotel for New Jersey's Meadowlands, a bold proposal in the shadow of New York City that would require state voter approval.
Hard Rock envisions a 650,000-square-foot "entertainment destination" with a giant illuminated guitar visible from Manhattan and sitting adjacent to MetLife Stadium in the Garden State.
Jim Allen, chairman of HRI, said its proximity to Newark Int'l Airport and metro area location amid 14M people would make it a hit. He said the revenue generated could go toward revitalizing the state's decrepid gambling hot spot, Atlantic City.
Allen and Meadowlands developer Jeff Gural, who held a press conference June 3, said they would spend up to $20M on a PR effort to win voter approval.
Hard Rock officials say the development -- with 5,000 slot machines and 200 gaming tables -- could bring in $400M in new tax revenues a year via a 55-percent tax on gambling revenue.
But it would require voters to approve gambling in the state outside of Atlantic City in a November referendum, if lawmakers can pass a bill by August.
The Zimmerman Agency promotes HRI's 200 locations in 64 countries.
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