As reported by: Newsday.com
For much of the last 30 years, the casino experience in Atlantic City has involved sand, seagulls and the Boardwalk.

But in its effort to survive withering competition from Pennsylvania and New York slots parlors, the city is considering expanding casino gambling into areas that were never envisioned when gambling was approved here in the 1970s.

The City Council Wednesday night approved changes to its master plan that will rezone parts of Route 30 to allow construction of a casino on the site of a former oil depot.

About a mile from the Boardwalk and only slightly closer than that to the three marina district casinos, the proposed gambling hall would be built by Penn National Gaming in an area currently known best for traffic jams and sewage smells.

The vote came after about two dozen residents of the nearby Venice Park neighborhood urged the council to reject the plan, or at least defer it until Penn National officials could meet further with homeowners.

Mike Johnson, vice president of the Venice Park Civic Association, knows exactly where he stands on the proposal _ "2,311 feet and six inches" away, he said.

"The major problem will be traffic. Sometimes in the morning and evening, it's extremely hard to get into and out of Venice Park. And that's without this casino."
Article By: Newsday.com