Intra State gambling given the green light in New Jersey

Intra State gambling given the green light in New Jersey

By Paul McCarthy-Brain

A bill whose aim was to legalize Internet gambling in New Jersey has been passed. The bill somewhat vaguely states that it “…authorizes Internet wagering at Atlantic City casinos to enable New Jersey residents to place wagers on casino games via the Internet.”

This put simply means that the gaming servers must be located in Atlantic city in a facility regulated to run gaming equipment, however as this is intrastate online gambling, only people physically located in New Jersey would be able to play. The bill also makes provision for users outside of New Jersey but only if the the Division of Gaming Enforcement decrees that it is permissible by federal law. The most interesting element is that all games which can be played within the physical casino, including poker can be played online.

The bill will now move to the Senate floor for a full vote.

What this will mean..

Well the Casino operators will be both worried and excited. Worried that the availability of online poker and casino games will reduce the foot fall through the door and thus reduce revenues. They are excited as the possibilities of gaining a whole new raft of users via the online space becomes possible.

As with all key industries, Atlantic city is looking to become the new ‘Gambling Silicon Valley’, a title it will have to fight Nevada hard for and could possibly end up buried in the desert for giving it a shot ?? After the initial skirmish, lots of vested interests will be launching mobile and web based casino / poker products, the market will settle down to the two or three of the largest players taking the majority of the revenue. No doubt with a sudden influx of European operators clambering to get in on the action. The rest will become smaller players and there will be many many casualties.

Where this will get interesting is if the American operators will be permitted to accept wagers or players from outside the US. The absolute no-no right now is for global operators to offer products to US residents. Look at full tilt poker and bookmaker.com as prime examples of how to get your business crushed by the federal government for daring to bypass the wire-act laws.

One thing is certain, there’s going to be a gold rush in Casino games / poker tech in the US. The users will come flocking and the companies will be throwing cash at the problem jockeying for position as the premium play maker. It’s certainly a good time to be working in the industry, especially when you consider that US operators have never done any of this kind of work before. Could be a great time to dust of that CV, make some overly inflated claims and cash in whilst the sector explodes. With Nevada and California also doing the same, its going to be a truly exciting time in the industry.