Online Gambling inside Atlantic Metropolis

Initially the bill was vetoed by the Governor because of issues surrounding transparency and taxes. Lawmakers adjusted the text and the amended bill passed by an overwhelming majority in the legislature and earned Christie’s seal of approval.

Here are the basic principles of the bill:

– Casinos positioned in Atlantic City will have a way to use for a license to provide online gambling. Only the twelve official Atlantic City casinos is going to be entitled to the license. No other organizations can provide internet gambling, and face stiff fines should they do. All facilities used for the operation of internet gambling must be located within city limits; only bets that are received with a server in Atlantic City is going to be legal.

– Players must be “physically present” in New Jersey to place wagers. As time goes by, New Jersey may develop agreements with yakin777 other states where internet gambling is legal to permit out-of-state gambling. The casino’s equipment must verify players’ locations before accepting wagers.

– Any games open to play in the casinos may be played online. (For comparison, Nevada only allows poker.) As of this moment, sports betting will not be protected by this bill, although the state of New Jersey is trying to fight the federal statute barring the legalization of sports betting.

– The bill has all sorts of provisions to help keep gambling addiction at bay, such as for instance requiring the prominent display of the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline number, a way to set maximum bets and losses over a specific time period, and tracking player losses to spot and limit users who may demonstrate addictive gambling behavior.

– Revenue from online gambling will carry a 15% tax. The Christie administration states that about $180 million in revenue for the state is going to be generated out of this tax, but some analysts think this number is seriously overestimated.

The state regulations, that your bill required the Division of Gaming Enforcement to make, were released on June 3, and are susceptible to a “public comment period” until August 2 before being finalized. These rules include details such as for instance what sort of casino acquires the correct licenses and procedures for maintaining network security on gambling sites.

So, will online gambling actually benefit the state?

The Good

Revenues from Atlantic City casinos have already been on the decline for days gone by seven years, and online gambling might be what saves the failing casinos. Since 2006, casino revenue has dropped from $5.2 billion to around $3 billion. Online gambling might be a $500 million to $1 billion industry in New Jersey, which may be enough to help keep struggling casinos afloat and save jobs in Atlantic City. Further, even though estimates of tax revenue are all over the map, there’s possibility of online gambling to be a considerably valuable source of money for the state. The casinos will also need to pay a tax to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which will provide further help struggling casinos in Atlantic City.

For the gamer, low overhead costs mean better prizes and more opportunities to play. Casinos can incent players with free “chips” that have minimal costs for them but give players more opportunities to play and win. The ease of gambling online allows players to play more with less travel.

BAD:

One of the goals of the bill is supposedly to attract more folks to go to the brick-and-mortar casinos, but it is hard to say if online gambling will in truth lead to this outcome. You can speculate it might even cause people to visit the casinos less (However, this seems unlikely; the social element and the free drinks are lost in online gambling. Also, research shows that, at the least with poker, internet gaming doesn’t reduce casino gaming.) Advertising for the host casino is going to be allowed on the internet gambling sites, which might encourage people to go to the casino but could also be annoying for players.

Online gambling might be seriously devastating for those who have gambling addictions, or even cause people to produce them, raising financial and moral concerns. Even with the preventative steps the bill requires, it will definitely be much harder to stop compulsive gamblers if they could place bets anywhere with an internet connection.

Regardless, it is going to be described as a while ahead of the casinos can actually start up their online gambling offerings. The regulations have to be finalized and casinos need to use for licensure and develop their gambling websites. This means the casinos will not be enjoying this new source of revenue throughout the 2013 summer season, which may be Atlantic City’s toughest season ever following recovery from Hurricane Sandy.