New Jersey is well-known to gambling and poker fans for a variety of reasons, from Donald Trump’s reign as casino king in Atlantic City, to Phil Ivey’s incredible and ultimately costly $10million winning streak at the baccarat tables.
When it comes to the online version of these same matters, however, you might be surprised to know just how much it has carried the state’s casinos through their toughest-ever period.
With 44 years of bricks and mortar casinos and 27 years of poker experience behind them, the state that provided the eastern seaboard with its very own Vegas should have been strolling through the 21st Century.
Instead, surrounded by states that were increasingly looking to open up their gambling offerings, land-based casinos in New Jersey were hit by competition from outside, and competition from inside.
The solution? Give the people what they want – internet-based gambling, online poker, and the sportsbetting offerings that Americans have always loved.
It took some time, but by the middle of the noughties decade, NJ Casino owners had got their act together and passed regulations that meant bricks-and-mortar casinos could spread their wings into cyberspace.
Fast-forward just a few years and the effects was dramatically seen – reports of casinos showing long-awaited and much-needed profits.
The result was clear; add internet versions of the same games and opportunities and the money would follow, with tax revenues helping out state finances. Not a difficult concept.
After a seven-year battle, sportsbetting was also added into the mix, and soon there were more than two dozen options for those looking to wager on their teams.
With a similar number of online poker operators in the state now, New Jersey has been transformed from a place where nobody in the game was making a living, to a goldmine of potential opportunities.
After a couple of decades in the wilderness, the Vegas of the East is back!
