New Jersey Awards Fifth Internet Gambling License to Tropicana
With one month and four days left on the clock before real money regulated online betting officially gets underway in the Garden State, on Monday New Jersey gaming regulators awarded the fifth permit to operate an online gambling web site, with the Tropicana becoming the newest Atlantic City to have secured licensing.
The Tropicana has entered into a partnership with international gaming company Gamesys Limited to operate its New Jersey-facing Internet gambling venture, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Gamesys, the operator of jackpotjoy.com, is well-known in the European online wagering market, with sites open to players from Spain, Italy, Sweden, as well as the United Kingdom.
All eyes are on New Jersey ahead of November 26 official launch
New Jersey became the third state in the nation to pass a law regulating some form of Internet gambling when Republican Governor - and likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate - Chris Christie signed the state's iGaming bill into law last February. Delaware and Nevada have also enacted such legislation, however in Nevada only online poker is permitted to the exclusion of other types of online wagering, whereas in Delaware and New Jersey, comprehensive Internet betting will be allowed once games are underway in those states.
Residents of - and visitors to - Delaware and New Jersey can expect to access online versions of classic casino games in addition to online poker so long as they are located within state borders when logging onto the real money sites. Players will be required to be over the age of 21 and will be made to go through age and location verification processes.
The upcoming commencement of the Internet wagering industry in New Jersey has been a major topic of discussion in both the gambling media and the mainstream media for months, in part because New Jersey is by far the most populous state to clear the way for online betting, and in part because online gambling is being seen by many as a potential savior for the New Jersey gambling industry, which has struggled for the better part of a decade in the face of ever-increasing competition from neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Since peaking in 2006, Atlantic City has seen its revenue decline each year. State gaming officials and the New Jersey gambling industry is hoping that the state's nascent online betting business will lure younger, more tech-savvy players to the state's iconic seaside gambling town.
Seven properties still haven't received approval from state regulators
As a way of helping prop up the city's struggling gambling economy, New Jersey's online betting law dictates that all Internet gambling operations in New Jersey be tied to land-based casino properties in Atlantic City. Of the twelve casino resorts in the city, now almost half have been given the green light by state gaming officials to begin offering such games when the market goes live on November 26 at 9 a.m. local time.
The companies to previously be awarded permits by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement are the Borgata (partnered with bwin.party), the Golden Nugget Atlantic City (partnered with Bally Technologies), the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort (partnered with Ultimate Gaming), and the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino (partnered with UK-based Betfair).
For its part, the Tropicana hopes to increase its business through its Internet gaming sites, with company CEO and president Tony Rodio remarking after news of the company's permit approval broke, "Both Tropicana and Gamesys are looking forward to introducing our customers to a new level of gaming through its online offerings, which will both entertain and raise the bar in gaming experience."
