This morning it was announced via a press release that online gambling company Ultimate Gaming and Trump Taj Mahal Associates LLC, which runs the similarly-named Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, have struck a deal to jointly operate online casino and online poker web sites in the Garden State.
Ultimate Gaming is based in Las Vegas. In Nevada, it has partnered with Station Casinos Inc, an operator of a chain of successful so-called "locals" casinos in the Las Vegas area, in its online poker venture.
Deal similar to Station Casinos agreement
According to Ultimate Gaming's CEO, Tobin Prior, the deal the company struck with Trump to operate sites in New Jersey will resemble the model it employs in Nevada with the Station Casinos properties.
"We’re providing a turnkey solution. Like Nevada, the idea is to drive customers to the Taj Mahal and use their database to build play on our websites," Prior was quoted as saying.
"We feel our technology is a major advantage," Prior added. "Our proprietary software has been proven to meet regulatory requirements and allows for continuous investment and product development. The technology was acquired in 2011 and developed by a U.S. based company with a completely clean regulatory profile."
Company touts security, software
An argument in favor of regulating online gambling that is often employed by supporters of a legalized Internet betting market is that in legitimizing such sites, customers can be assured they are dealing with responsible, aboveboard companies operating on secure platforms. In the absence of regulation, offshore gambling companies are often able to operate in the shadows, with customers risking the security of their bankrolls, not to mention their personal information.
For its part, Ultimate touted not only its platform, but also its ability to provide safe gaming to its customers.
"Today we are excited to be entering into an agreement with Trump Taj Mahal Associates to bring online gaming to New Jersey. This represents a huge step forward in our desire to offer Americans across the nation the opportunity to enjoy safe and regulated online games," Ultimate's chairman Tom Breitling said in the press release circulated this morning.
Ultimate Poker first site in the nation
Ultimate Gaming made history two months ago when it launched the first regulated real-money online poker room in the United States, Ultimate Poker. Currently Ultimate Poker is only available to Nevada residents and to those who log onto the room when they are physically located within the borders of the Silver State under the term's of Nevada's online poker law.
In this way, the law enacted in Nevada resembles similar online gambling legislation that was passed in the states of New Jersey and Delaware. The laws of all three states require that a bettor must be physically located in the respective state when placing any online wager. They will also need to be a minimum of 21 years old.
Unlike in Nevada, however, Delaware and New Jersey will offer comprehensive online gaming. Nevada law only permits poker, while New Jersey and Delaware will be able to offer a wide variety of casino games as well. So far, Ultimate Poker is the only online poker room available to Nevadans, as competing sites have not yet opened for business.
The next step in the process will be gaining approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Both Ultimate Gaming and Trump will require separate operating licenses before their gambling sites can go live. New Jersey is hoping to see the launch of Internet gambling by Thanksgiving of this year.
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