Partners For New Jersey Online Poker

Saturday June 15,2013 : CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS FOR THE NEW JERSEY POKER
 
June 29 deadline set for companies to declare their online gambling partnerships
 
With one eye on a speculative launch date of mid to late November for New Jersey online gambling, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement created a flurry of industry interest this week with an announcement that licensees must have any partnerships envisaged notified by June 29 2013.
 
Operators who fail to declare their partnerships could risk missing the implementation date, falling behind competitors in the new market.
 
The deadline will be of particular interest to non-US online gambling companies seeking a bridgehead in New Jersey through partnership deals with Atlantic City land casino operators. Licensing will be restricted to such entities, including partnerships with experienced internet gambling companies they may have formed or are considering.
 
The need for a deadline is to allow the DGE sufficient time to thoroughly vet prospective partners. Successful partnerships will probably be publicised sometime in July, according to some sources.
 
Some European online gambling groups already have a foot in the door, with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment most notably forging a deal with the Borgata.
 
Given the widespread appeal of the New Jersey market (the state has a large population, and the legalization initiatives there have gone beyond online poker to embrace casino gaming as well) partnerships are likely to be in demand.
 
It's a potentially positive development for Atlantic City operators, who have been struggling with falling attendances and revenues for years due to the recession and competition from neighbouring states.
 
InfoPowa readers will recall that The Rational Group – parent to Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker – made an abortive attempt to take another route into the New Jersey market by trying to acquire the Atlantic Club land casino in AC earlier this year – an expensive venture that ran out of time and ended in tears and recriminations.