Morris Bailey, the owner of Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel, says New Jersey gaming regulators are close to approving PokerStars’ online gambling license application.
Bailey (pictured) made the comments on Thursday at the launch of his property’s new iGaming Lounge, which he claims is the first such digitally-dedicated environment in an AC casino. The Lounge, located just off the casino floor, aims to help educate technophobic gamblers of how online gambling works and to enable gamblers to sign up for Resorts’s new online casino site.
Thursday marked the official launch of ResortsCasino.com. The SNG Interactive-powered casino site earned $154k in March, its first full month of operations since taking its first wager in late February.
The online site has yet to launch a poker vertical because its online poker partner PokerStars has yet to receive a transactional waiver from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). There are plenty of theories as to what has delayed the DGE from making a decision regarding Stars’ future, many of them centering around Gov. Chris Christie’s alleged unwillingness to piss off certain anti-online casino bosses who might retaliate by refusing to fund Christie’s presidential aspirations.
On Thursday, Press of Atlantic City reporter Reuben Kramer quoted Bailey saying recent conversations with the state’s top gaming regulator had convinced him that the DGE was “close” to completing its review of PokerStars’ application and Bailey said he expects to be pleased by their decision. Last month, Stars’ owner Amaya Gaming suggested Stars would be taking online wagers in New Jersey by Q3.
Back in October 2013, Stars had vowed to build a new $10m brick-and-mortar poker room at Resorts if its online license was approved, and Bailey says Amaya intends to honor that commitment if DGE approval is forthcoming.
