New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, long considered the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Meadowlands getting a casino, may have finally seen the light. On Thursday, Christie said publicly for the first time that he’s in favor of a casino in the northern part of the state, as long as some of the money is shared with Atlantic City’s ailing casino industry.

“I certainly would be supportive of getting this question done as quickly as we can, so we could move to expand it, if that’s the will of the people,” Christie said Wednesday night on the “Ask the Governor” radio show on 101.5-FM.

“I think given the competition around us, it would be the right thing to do, as long as there’s a provision to have some of the revenue to help Atlantic City and help some of the workers down there who have lost their jobs because of the downsizing.”

The state’s constitution would have to be amended to allow casinos outside of Atlantic City, but voters can make that happen, perhaps as soon as this November’s elections.

Though Christie did not specifically say that the Meadowlands should be the location of a North Jersey casino it has long believed that the track would be the front-runner for a gaming facility should Jersey casinos ever expand outside of Atlantic City.