Now it’s casino executives and lobbyists heading to Trenton seeking their own jackpot.

Lawmakers in the state capital are working on bills to deregulate the casinos, establish an elite police force to patrol the boardwalk, and create a fund where millions of dollars will be spent to market and remake Atlantic City’s image.

The plan is to establish an Atlantic City tourism district. Not quite a New Jersey version of Disney (no amusement park is planned), but casino and state officials say they want to create a safer, cleaner and more fun destination for gamblers and families alike.

Regional infrastructure improvements on the drawing board for Atlantic City include increasing airport, rail and ferry options.

A master plan for the district is being drafted with a focus on “enticing new entrants to build both gaming and non-gaming attractions that will increase demand in the city,” according to the governor’s office. One zone, for instance, would feature water sports and extreme sports activities.

The plan is due on Gov. Chris Christie’s desk by July 1.

Officials are counting on paying for the activity with $20 million annually expected to be realized from regulatory cost-cutting, plus retention of the $30 million yearly subsidy formerly paid by the casinos to the horse racing industry.

“A lot of that money will be earmarked into an image campaign where we talk about the great things Atlantic City has and try to overcome the perception that people might have of the city,” said Mark Juliano, a member of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority and former CEO of Trump Entertainment.

After the 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Juliano served on Christie’s transition team. He is credited with convincing the Republican governor and administration policy adviser Jon Hanson to place big bets on Atlantic City.

Christie said he is anxious to see action on the bills that he has promised to sign into law.

“We need to deal with the Atlantic City reform project. We stepped in to create a plan,” Christie said. “That has led the industry to come in to be a partner with the state in the marketing of the city. That can make Atlantic City once again an economic engine for the state.”" (via  usatoday.com) by Bob Jordan

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Book: 11/25/09 – 12/3/09 by 6:00 p.m. CT

Almost two weeks after the series finale, the addiction to the show seems stronger than ever, with legions of fans making a journey to Jersey to see real-life remnants of the hit TV mob drama.

For many, their obsession starts at the place where the series ended: Business is booming at the diner where Tony Soprano sat with his family in the controversial series finale.

Fans not only want to eat at Holsten’s (actually an ice cream parlor in Bloomfield), they want to sit in the same booth in which Tony, the fictional New Jersey mob boss, played the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

“The phone just rings constantly all day from people wanting to make reservations,” said co-owner Chris Carley. “They ask ‘Can we reserve the booth? Can we get a T-shirt?’ ”

Carley, who watched the final scenes filmed there over two days, fields calls from fans wanting to talk about the ending. Customers who want to relive Tony’s last meal can buy some of the onion rings he raved about (for $2.50), but they cannot listen to the juke box, which was a prop for the show.

“It’s just so funny that people want to sit in that booth,” Carley said. “A lot of people are taking pictures.”

The Emmy-winning HBO show explored the life of the fictional mob boss and his family, and scores of scenes have been shot across the Garden State since it debuted in 1999.

The series buzz-inducing final scene ended abruptly with the screen suddenly going black as Tony and his family sit down to dinner at Holsten’s, leaving fans guessing about what happens next.

Part of “The Sopranos” fascination is fueled by the lack of a real ending, said Roland T. Rust, chairman of the marketing department at the University of Maryland.

“The fact you don’t have that resolution makes it more difficult for people to let go,” Rust said.

Some fans are flocking to a “Sopranos”-themed bus tour. With 47 sites, it’s one way fans can still connect with the show. The cost is $42 per person, which includes a cannoli (a nod to “The Godfather”). Afternoon tours for the next two weekends are already sold out.

The tour begins in Midtown Manhattan and transports up to 54 people through the Lincoln Tunnel into Jersey (the start of Tony’s journey in the opening credits). Fans see the fictional Satriale’s pork store in Kearny and the diner under the Pulaski Skyway in Jersey City where Tony’s nephew, Christopher, got shot.

The obsession with “The Sopranos” doesn’t just include New Jersey.

Music downloads of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” jumped 371% in the week after it was played in the show’s final scene, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Even Pizzaland, a shack that zips by in the show’s opening credits, has seen a huge spike in business from fans still starving for the show.” [Via LA Times]

Check out these pictures of the real locations used on the show?

The hit TV drama “The Sopranos” is winding down with its final episodes. Ever wonder about the real locations you see in the show? Kearny, Lodi and Newark are among the places featured. CBS 2 went with “On Location Tours,” hitting some familiar locales.