New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is urging state Assembly leaders to approve his plan to take over Atlantic City’s finances amid warnings that increased competition could reduce AC’s struggling casino industry to just three operators.

Last week, AC mayor Don Guardian warned that he would shut down non-essential government services by April 8 after failing to convince Christie to approve a short-term cash injection. On Monday, Christie urged Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to stop stalling on allowing legislators to vote on a state takeover of AC’s finances, which would provide bailout funds subject to certain conditions.

Among those conditions is a provision that would let the state void public sector union contracts. Prieto wants this provision excised before he’ll allow a vote but Christie has vowed to veto any alterations of his proposal. A Prieto spokesman slammed the governor’s “juvenile gamesmanship” in playing with AC’s survival in order to achieve an ideological goal.

Much of AC’s current woes stem from the decline of tax revenue from its principal industry. The city lost four of its dozen casinos in 2014 and some of the survivors – most notably, the Borgata – have won hefty tax refunds from the city based on their depreciating valuation.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is urging state Assembly leaders to approve his plan to take over Atlantic City’s finances amid warnings that increased competition could reduce AC’s struggling casino industry to just three operators.

Last week, AC mayor Don Guardian warned that he would shut down non-essential government services by April 8 after failing to convince Christie to approve a short-term cash injection. On Monday, Christie urged Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to stop stalling on allowing legislators to vote on a state takeover of AC’s finances, which would provide bailout funds subject to certain conditions.

Among those conditions is a provision that would let the state void public sector union contracts. Prieto wants this provision excised before he’ll allow a vote but Christie has vowed to veto any alterations of his proposal. A Prieto spokesman slammed the governor’s “juvenile gamesmanship” in playing with AC’s survival in order to achieve an ideological goal.

Much of AC’s current woes stem from the decline of tax revenue from its principal industry. The city lost four of its dozen casinos in 2014 and some of the survivors – most notably, the Borgata – have won hefty tax refunds from the city based on their depreciating valuation.

A pair of UK online gambling operators have been forced to issue public mea culpas for their ill-fated attempts to mimic Paddy Power’s legendarily cheeky marketing tactics.

On Friday, UK betting firm BetBright sent its customers a promotional email with a Good Friday-themed betting offer. The ad suggested that Jesus Christ “would probably frown on you betting on a holy day, but he’s been dead years.” The email went on to say punters shouldn’t let the Son of God “spoil your fun on your day off” because he “probably won’t mind anymore.”

Reaction to the email was swift and largely negative. While a few punters took the joke in stride, others reported being seriously offended. The latter group clearly missed the irony of their outrage, as Christ was renowned for His willingness to forgive those who trespassed against Him.

Within hours of the email’s release, BetBright marketing director Brian Farrell issued a formal apology, calling the Good Friday reference “inappropriate” and clarifying that the company “do not support and will not tolerate derogatory references of any manner.” Farrell assured punters that the company had taken steps to ensure against a repeat occurrence.

A pair of UK online gambling operators have been forced to issue public mea culpas for their ill-fated attempts to mimic Paddy Power’s legendarily cheeky marketing tactics.

On Friday, UK betting firm BetBright sent its customers a promotional email with a Good Friday-themed betting offer. The ad suggested that Jesus Christ “would probably frown on you betting on a holy day, but he’s been dead years.” The email went on to say punters shouldn’t let the Son of God “spoil your fun on your day off” because he “probably won’t mind anymore.”

Reaction to the email was swift and largely negative. While a few punters took the joke in stride, others reported being seriously offended. The latter group clearly missed the irony of their outrage, as Christ was renowned for His willingness to forgive those who trespassed against Him.

Within hours of the email’s release, BetBright marketing director Brian Farrell issued a formal apology, calling the Good Friday reference “inappropriate” and clarifying that the company “do not support and will not tolerate derogatory references of any manner.” Farrell assured punters that the company had taken steps to ensure against a repeat occurrence.