Atlantic County has received a $15 million payment as legal settlement of a dispute between Atlantic County and the State of New Jersey over the 2021 amendments to the casino payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) law.
“We fought for more than seven years to make our county taxpayers whole,” stated County Executive Dennis Levinson. “With this settlement, Atlantic County will have received close to $59 million more than it would have had we not challenged the state over the PILOT legislation.”
According to Levinson, the settlement with the state was reached on April 2, 2025. The state had until Aug. 1 to make the $15 million payment.
“During my administration, we have never kicked the can down the road to burden future generations with our debt. Instead, we have saved for rainy days and unexpected emergencies. Our fiscal responsibility has been noted by credit rating agencies and has helped us earn top tier ratings and recognition as the best run county in the state.”
Atlantic County first brought a lawsuit in 2017 that challenged the 2016 Casino Property Tax Stabilization Act, more commonly known as the casino PILOT bill. Years of litigation followed with multiple decisions in favor of the county and subsequent appeals by the state. The county was due to receive millions from the 2018 Consent Order, but stood to lose a portion of that as a result of the 2021 PILOT amendments.
Levinson commended the Board of County Commissioners for their support throughout this lengthy process.
“The commissioners knew we could lose and it could be quite costly, but they continued to offer their support and encouragement. While some questioned whether we should continue to fight, they never waivered,” he said.
“It was important to fight for what was rightfully ours. As the casinos and Atlantic City paid less in taxes, the remaining 22 municipalities paid more to make up the difference,” Levinson said. “Despite numerous delays by the state, the commissioners and I persevered. And our perseverance has paid off for the benefit of all our taxpayers.”
