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New Jersey Governor Christie, a Republican, and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat, are in sync on their support for revival attempts for the Atlantic City casino industry.

One such effort was a $260 million+ tax incentive for the $2.4 billion Revel casino that helped resume construction in 2011 and for opening of the casino doors this past spring. Christie was riding high at that time, hand-shaking and hugging casino workers before a press conference just outside.

And how is Revel doing now? Depends on whom you ask.

Sweeney is calling Revel’s situation “dire,” while Christie is touting the casino hotel’s “extraordinarily busy” occupancy rates.

Wait, did I mention that these two could be squaring off in a 2013 Governor’s race?

Sweeney on Friday said he had written to David Rebuck, director of the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, asking for a detailed report on Revel’s finances next week because of reports that the casino’s finances appear to be “dire.”

“The casino appears to be burning cash at an alarming rate,” Sweeney added, referring to a $100 million line of credit extended in August.

Revel received a $100 million line of credit in August to help it operate through 2013. But a Revel spokeswoman told The Associated Press, “Revel’s financial situation is not dire. Our investors and partners have shown a tremendous amount of support for Revel, and believe in our business model.”

So does Christie, who made these remarks Friday (text courtesy of my colleague Melissa Hayes):

“The fact of the matter is that Revel continues to exceed, with the exception of this month, its projections on its non-gaming revenue.

And what everyone has got to understand is Revel is going to be a different type of place and I think the gaming revenue will come forward. And what I’m told is they’re working with folks, bringing in new people to help expand their gaming revenue.

What I’m most encouraged about is it’s still extraordinarily busy – with exception of the time during the storm obviously – in terms of its hotel occupancy, in terms of its restaurants and its events it’s holding there. Gaming will come around.

I’m not a board member of Revel so I can’t give you all the exact financial information, but I’ve been assured by folks that it’s exceeding its non-gaming revenue projections and they’ll get there on gaming.”

Christie does have a point that Revel’s business model relies less on gaming revenue and more on higher hotel revenues via attracting conventions and so forth. But those numbers haven’t been so great, either.

But Sweeney has a good point about the number of contractors waiting to get paid. The most intriguing part politically is whether Sweeney will be willing at any point to either support a state subsidy, or to simply give up on the new place.

It’s even more complicated for Christie, who tied himself to the Revel mast – only to see it possibly loom as a perceived loser during next summer’s gubernatorial race. Never mind that the tax incentive bill was sponsored by Democratic state Senator Ray Lesniak; Christie put himself at the front of the Revel parade last year.

If there’s one thing that could ease Christie’s frustration a bit, it would be if American Dream Meadowlands – the long-stalled “Revel of the North” formerly known as Xanadu – finally wraps up a $2 billion financing package that is at least six months late even by the estimates of American Dream officials.

American Dream would be expected to receive a similar tax incentive to Revel. The state doesn’t pay any money out of Treasury; instead, it takes in only 25 percent of its otherwise-expected tax revenues for as many years as it takes for the developer to wind up with a 20 percent break on its total new investment.

Worth it for the state if a project wouldn’t ever open otherwise; a sweetheart deal for the developer if they really would have built the project even without the discount. So a good mind-reading course would come in handy regarding these sort of deals.

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