While Nevada has been attracting a number of online poker companies to its growing online poker market, the US state of New Jersey has been hard at work preparing its own online gaming industry.
Although a date for the launch has not yet been set, the deadline for the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement to offer internet gaming is November 26. Under New Jersey law, the Division’s director must give at least 45 days notice before Internet gaming is launched in the state. That launch date is only 63 days away.
That gives the Division a little bit of wiggle room to assess applications from gaming operators wishing to launch online gaming services in New Jersey, and according to spokeswoman Lisa Spengler, that is exactly what the Division is currently doing.
"The division can confirm that it has received a significant amount of additional materials from the casino licensees on behalf of their Internet gaming applicants," she said. "The Division remains committed to meeting the statutory deadline of November 26."
As part of New Jersey’s online gaming laws, companies that are already lisenced, such as casinos, can only apply to get a lisence to operate online gaming services. That means that external companies wishing to operate such a service must partner up with brick and mortar casinos that are located within the state.
Interest from companies in establishing online gaming services in New Jersey has been immense, with the overwhelming majority of the state’s casinos having joined up with partners to launch such services. Many of those partners are the crème de la crème of online poker and gaming, a sign that the New Jersey market could be a lucrative one.
PokerStars, 888 Holdings, bwin.party, Gamesys Limited and Ultimate Gaming have all been confirmed to have established partnerships with casinos, while Betfair has been rumoured to also have secured a partnership. Other online gaming companies have put forward their interest in operating an online gaming service in New Jersey as well. One of them is Irish company Paddy Power, who placed an application with the Division of Gaming Enforcement last month.
The impending launch of the online gaming market in New Jersey is set to be a major event, with that state being the centre of gaming in eastern America. The fact that New Jersey has a significant population (8.8 million) makes an online gaming industry there a potentially intriguing one, and is likely to lead to major competition once the industry is officially launched.
