Some existing casino operators are already expressing opposition to the measure. One gaming executive complained that tiny casinos would cheapen the resort’s image instead of building on efforts to transform Atlantic City into a more upscale tourist destination and convention town.

“I think the whole thing is ludicrous,” said Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of the three Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. casinos.

Juliano argued that smaller casinos would be a down-market version of the full-scale resorts — much like the differences between the glamorous Las Vegas Strip properties and the lower-end gaming halls in downtown Las Vegas.

“Do you want to have the Las Vegas Strip or downtown Las Vegas?” Juliano asked derisively. “Downtown Las Vegas is what we’re morphing into, and that’s not good.”