Back in January last year (2014) it was decided that online gaming was to be legalized and licensed in the US State of New Jersey and this has seen a huge amount of interest from not only established and currently licensed companies in New Jersey wishing to get such a license, but also long established online poker sites and companies supplying the poker platforms and software to such online poker sites.
It was originally planned that these poker licenses would start to be issued in November of 2013; however with the state of play currently being what it is these New Jersey issued online gaming licenses is now looking likely to be issued in 2014.
The reasons why the State of New Jersey to look into and then decide to license online poker sites was obvious, they could not only raise additionl
taxes and fees from such sites but would also be able to directly compete with unlicensed poker sites currently providing poker games to players living in this US State!
Two other US States who have chosen to license and regulate the online gaming environment are Delaware and Nevada and as such it was a natural progression for the New Jersey Gaming Commission to start to offer gaming license to poker sites looking to operate from within their jurisdiction.
It will go without saying that all companies who are successful in applying for and being granted a license to operate their respective online poker sites in the State of New Jersey will be obliged to have in place several features of their operations that ensure players can only access their poker offerings from within the States boundaries.
This has led to a Nevada based company called Geo Comply applying for a license to offer their geo location product to licensed New Jersey State poker sites. It is also expected that there will be several applications from companies offering player verification services and software products that will ensure no underage players can sign up and play whilst also ensuring players who have opted to self exclude are not given access to any licensed poker site
There have been so far around 37 applications received for online poker site licences by the New Jersey Gaming Commission and as is to be expected a lot of these applications came from companies and casinos already operating under a gambling license from this licensing authority.
Below we take a look at some of these applicants, many of whom have teamed up with established online poker sites, the aim of these land based companies teaming up with these online poker sites is simple, they will have a readymade product and as such will not have to invest large sums of money designing, testing and then releasing their own unique and exclusive poker platforms!
The Caesars Entertainment Corp who own Bally’s Casino, Harrah’s Resort, and the Showboat Casino have chosen to join up with thee 888 Holding Group who own and operate their own online poker site that being 888 Poker.
The Bwin Party Group who own and operate the Party Poker site is joining forces with the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in the hope that their application will pass the licensing procedure without any problems.
The Pokerstars site have chosen to team up with the Resorts Casino Hotel, this was the second choice for Pokerstars for they originally put in a bid to buy out the Atlantic Club, however their offer was rejected and as such they chose to partner with the Resorts Casino Hotel instead.
One company who have opted to go it alone is the Golden Nugget Casino and as such they will be using the Bally Technologies platform as the one they will be utilizing for their online poker offerings, subject of course to them being granted a license to operate their own online poker site.
The Ultimate Gaming Company has opted to partner with the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and thanks to the former named company already having been granted a Nevada online gambling license it should be a fairly straight forward application for these companies having already had a vigorous vetting procedure performed in Nevada for their online gaming platform and products.
BetFair who are very well known for their award winning betting exchange platform have chosen to join up with the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, this is apparently just a rumour, however our sources are quite reliable and time will tell if this is in fact a true partnership of these two companies!
Another very well known online gaming related company is GameSys and they have opt to join up with the Tropicana Casino and Resort, and as such they will have a readymade poker product that is ready to go live once it have been vetted, tested and licensed.
Another company eager to get a New Jersey State License for their online poker product is 2UP Gaming PLC, they have been hunting around for a land based casino to buy in Atlantic City and at this moment in time we have not heard of them securing such a venue.
One final company we know of that have showed an interest in obtaining one of these New Jersey poker licensed isAinsworth Game Technology, they are famed for their land based slot machine manufacturing company, and are hoping they obtain such a license and are able to launch their own standalone online poker site.
It was in 1976 that the citizens of New Jersey decided that the only way they could completely redevelop and reinvigorate their local area was by approving a proposal to allow legalized land based venues in their locality, and this they did and as such a year later in 1977 the New Jersey Casino Control Act became law and a legal framework for licensing and regulating land based gaming venues throughout New Jersey became a reality.
This Act then permitted both new and existing companies based in New Jersey to apply for a gambling license for venues in the State, and the hope at this time that be opening up gaming venues, namely casinos, then the tourist industry and therefore the local community would benefit from a major boost thanks to increase taxes being raised and more jobs being created in the new gambling industry and other companies would benefit from an increase in footfall.
However one thing that this Act also ensured was that hotel and convention centres could apply for gambling licenses and as such the New Jersey State would then keep its traditional hospitality and holiday and vacation reputation but attract a new type of clientèle who are prepared to wager when vacationing or in the area of business.
One of the most important aspects of this new gambling Act was that there was to be a very strict regulatory procedure in place which would ensure that all customers using such license premises could be completely confident they are always receiving fair and honest casino games, whilst at the same time carefully vetting and continually monitoring everyone holding a New Jersey State Gambling License.
This including a very comprehensive set of checks and double checks backed p by law enforcement and a full supervisory role for those working in the New Jersey Gambling Commission. Should any person have a problem with any business licensed by the Commission then they are given access to a complaints procedure and any and all complaints are investigated thoroughly and the result made known in an open fashion, so as to ensure completely transparency of the Commission and its workings.
The New Jersey Gambling Commission has, since its inception, succeeded in its goal and continues to grow, with the recent developments in regards to licensing online poker sites there are not that many worldwide licensing jurisdictions as qualified or as respected as this one, and it is ideally placed to embrace this new environment, and should continue with its good work of providing legal, licensed and trustworthy venues at which citizens and visitors to New Jersey can trust.
Should anyone have a complaint against any venue, company or business holding a New Jersey State gambling license then they are invited to contact the Gaming Enforcement Division immediately with details of their complaint.
You can do this by writing to them, telephoning them, emailing them to visiting their offices which are currently located at: 1300 Atlantic Ave, 2nd Floor, Atlantic City, NJ 08401.
The Gambling Act also has in place a strict code of conduct for anyone wishing to self exclude themselves from any licensed venue and this will require that person to visit the offices of the self exclusion program which is located at the Arcade Building, Entrance B, Tennessee Ave. and Boardwalk Atlantic City, N.J. 08401. A second office is also open and this is located at 140 E. Front Street Trenton, NJ.
You may be wondering how the New Jersey Gambling Commission can ensure that the casino games, and soon to be the online poker game that they have licensed are proven to be fair, random and true. Well this is all done via the New Jersey Technical Services Bureau which is tasked with testing all of the operating systems for gaming machines licensed by the Commission.
By having a stand along section of the Commission whose sole purpose is to continually check, double check and verify that any game licensed by the Commission is fair and above board this is how they can be confident that players of any gambling game licensed are receiving a game as it is described and works, plays and pay exactly as it should.
The New Jersey State Technical Service Bureau have a very informative website where you will find full information of how they work along with their complaints and investigation procedures along with information on how they operate to ensure fair gaming for all licensed premises.