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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday approved online gambling within the state's border, a move that he hopes can help boost state revenues and revive Atlantic City casinos.
The measure, announced the same day that Christie unveiled his new budget plan for fiscal 2014, will legalize Internet gaming to New Jersey's 9 million residents and also create opportunities for European companies with expertise in running online gaming operations.
New Jersey, the 11th most populous state, will become the largest so far and the third in the United States to allow online gambling after Delaware and Nevada, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Nevada, home to international gambling Mecca Las Vegas, last week became the first U.S. state to allow interstate online poker.
"We are offering a responsible yet exciting option that will make Atlantic City more competitive, while also bringing financial benefits to New Jersey as a whole," Christie said in a statement.
The Republican governor signed the legislation after Democratic lawmakers agreed to make several changes, including a provision to review the program after 10 years to gauge its impact on problem gambling.
By legalizing internet gaming, New Jersey could see a huge jump in state casino revenue, to an estimated $436 million in fiscal 2014 from $235 million this fiscal year, which ends June 30, according to budget documents.
Earlier this month, the prospect of a quick approval of online gambling in New Jersey spurred gains among gaming companies on both side of the Atlantic amid hopes it could unlock a market worth up to $1 billion.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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More states need to pass this asap. I miss Party Poker and Pokerstars.
Damn it! The government isn't protecting me from myself! What will I do?
It takes 6-12 months to set it up..so be around Labor day-New Years most likely in NJ. And its for any game currently offered by Atlantic City’s 12 casinos..no outside the state businesses like Party poker or Pokerstars.
Wow, guess who loses if they play against a "programmed" computer robot ?
Apparently people in NJ are easily separated from their money. But then again people in NY/PA/DEL will look for a hot spot in NJ for their tablets and drive over so they can lose theirs.
lDO, You don't thing that slots are not controlled by computer??
Rich- I don't think so. This is a really BAD idea on so many levels. Trust me, we'll be reading plenty of stories of people who, having never left their home, losing ten's of thousands of dollars, finding themselves out on the street and homeless because they couldn't stop chasing their losses. Self-discipline is not a strong point for those that would participate in this activity.
The only reason this is not legal now is because the government is too greedy and didn't know how to collect taxes.
People not knowing how to control or discipline themselves is their own fault. Gambling "addiction" is a weakness in the person, but it is no different than buying thousands of lottery tickets every year. Personally I prefer a skilled game like poker than praying for pure luck with unfathomably, horrible odds like the lottery, which is encouraged and advertised by the states. Hypocrite much?
Wow, with this in mind I guess you support heroin vending machines. Drug addiction is only for people not knowing how to control themselves, the rest of us can have a relaxing good time.
Dick are you just dumb or do you just enjoying making it seem like you are? I can only assume you are a liberal, seeing how you took what I said, and then said I said something completely different.
What drug is used to induce gambling? Choosing to do drugs is the weakness, but drugs create physical dependency. Choosing to gamble can be for many reasons, I do it for fun. Not being able to control your gambling is a completely different thing, it is the irrational thinking that 'things will turn around'. This is not a "disease" it is an illogical thought process.
I'm just going to assume you are one of those people that do not believe in personal responsibility or accountability.
$100 on the Cowboys to win the 2014 Super Bowl!
This is why it took so long to pass. They didn't want to see people foolishly lose money!
It can be up and running in 90-270 days from the date of the bill signing. All they need is gaming board to set the date it can start and Borgata has already teamed up with Bwin to develope and help implement their site. Bwin is the largest online gaming company in the world. So it won't be difficult for Boyd's Borgata site to be up and running. They already offer in room gaming through the TV. This company along with Cesears are the only companys that you can invest publicly in to get in early. MGM is part owner of Borgata but has been told to sell its stake by 2014 because of ties to a Chinese business associate in Macau.
Isn't this kind of an empty law? Isn't it still illegal by Fed standards for banks to do money transfers with gambling sites?
Last time I tried, maybe a few months ago, very few sites would even allow Americans to play anything other than freerolls.