With just a little over a month to go before the first real money online wagering web sites go live in the state of New Jersey, this week the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement doled out three additional operating licenses, to the Golden Nugget, the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort.
The Borgata received the green-light from state gambling regulators earlier this month, making history by doing so. The Borgata, arguably the most posh of the twelve land-based casinos in New Jersey's seaside gaming capitol, was also the first to receive a license under the state's new Internet gambling law, signed last February by first-term Republican Governor Chris Christie.
New Jersey Internet betting is set to get underway on November 26 at 9 a.m. local time. For months, talk of all things big and small pertaining to the nation's third regulated gaming market - the first two being Nevada and Delaware - has dominated the gambling media. Those who have been closely following the burgeoning New Jersey iGaming market haven't been disappointed during the month of October, as news has come somewhat fast and furious.
Golden Nugget comes in number two
First, regulators confirmed the go date for the real money sites. Then, news broke that the Borgata had received its operating license. Not long on its heels was the Golden Nugget, which snagged license number two last Wednesday.
As New Jersey's Internet betting law requires that all online gambling operations be tied to a land-based casino property in Atlantic City, the Golden Nugget, as with all of the city's casinos, has joined forces with another company to offer online gambling in New Jersey. In the case of the Golden Nugget, it has partnered with Bally Technologies.
In New Jersey, a wide variety of online betting options will be available in addition to online poker. Players must be adults over the age of twenty-one who are located within the state's borders when logging onto the web sites. For its part, the Golden Nugget will operate goldennuggetcasino.com in addition to goldennuggetpoker.com, its separate online poker room.
In a written statement quoted by the Press of Atlantic City by Golden Nugget vice president Tom Pohlman said, "All players that desire to gamble online deserve a fair and trustworthy experience. Rest assured, that is our customer commitment, and unlike others, we have an Atlantic City land-based casino to stand behind our online brand."
Pohlman also serves as general manager of the Golden Nugget, which opened its doors back in 1985 under the name of Trump's Castle.
Trump properties to operate separately
Speaking of Trump, the two Atlantic City properties festooned with that legendary name this week became the third and fourth Atlantic City casinos to be granted licenses by the DGE. Because of minutiae involving the ownership and management of the two Trump properties, the Trump Taj Mahal and the Trump Plaza will be launching separate iGaming ventures with separate technology partnerships.
Trump Plaza will be partnered with international operator Betfair, based in the UK. Trump Taj Mahal has entered into a deal with Ultimate Gaming, the parent company of Ultimate Poker, the first real money online poker room in Nevada. That site dealt its first hand of Internet poker - the only game currently allowed under Nevada law - last April.
Properties are licensed, technology companies are not yet
It should be noted that while the four properties mentioned above have been fully cleared by New Jersey regulators and could be ready to go on November 26, none of the partner companies have yet to receive final licensing approval, something they must obtain separately from their land-based collaborators.
Of course, this situation has left some asking whether those licenses are forthcoming, and just when the DGE plans to issue them. With the very high-profile launch of the state's online betting market, we'd be willing to wager that state officials will be looking for it to happen as smoothly as possible, meaning that the licenses are probably going to be issued in the coming weeks.
