With the November 26 target date for launching online gambling in New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is ramping up its efforts to get Atlantic City’s casinos to shed more information about their respective Internet gambling partners in the state.
Earlier this month, the state regulator issued letters to the AC casinos requesting more information regarding their partners after determining that the required paperwork the casinos submitted lacked “key details”. Acquiescing to the request, a number of casinos with existing partners submitted the lacking documents to the division, which was confirmed by division spokeswoman Lisa Spengler in an email to the Press of Atlantic City.
The regulator didn’t disclose the specific type of documents that were lacking, opting only to say that “it [had] received a significant amount of additional materials from the casino licensees on behalf of their Internet gaming applicants.”
That’s one hurdle down for the AC casinos on its way to finally being allowed to offer online gambling to boost sagging revenue numbers across the entire gambling destination.
Of the 12 casinos in Atlantic City, 10 already have Internet gambling partners lined up. The only ones without one are Revel Casino-Hotel and the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel. The latter actually had a deal in place with PokerStars that called for the online poker site to buy the establishment but that agreement fell through, prompting Stars to take its money and sign with Resorts Casino Hotel.
The AC’s most profile casino, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, already has Bwin as its partner with the latter saying last week that its system is good-to-go and is merely waiting for regulators to give the green light to launch Internet gambling operations in the state.
Meanwhile, all four of Caesars‘ properties in the AC are teaming up with 888 Holdings while the Tropicana Resort has Gamesys Limited as its Internet partner; The Trump Taj Mahal tapped Ultimate Gaming as its partner and is banking on the latter’s experience after becoming the first company to launch online poker in Nevada earlier this year while its sister-company, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, has signed a deal with Betfair.
One casino, the Golden Nugget Atlantic City, signed a deal with Bally Technologies to be its technology provider but is looking to offer Internet gambling under its own brand.
The November 26 launch date has not yet been cast in stone, but nevertheless, that’s the target date the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is looking at as the statutory deadline to give the go-signal.
All the casinos in line to offer online gambling will be notified by the division 45 days in advance of the launch, giving each of them enough time to prepare, develop, and test their new online gambling systems before the cards are thrown in the air.
