New Jersey Senate passes Online Gambling Bill

New Jersey is getting one step closer to becoming the first state in the US to introduce online legal gambling. Earlier this week, Senator Ray Lesniak’s bill to legalise all forms of online gambling was voted 29-5 by the Senate and will allow residents of New Jersey and foreigners to gamble at online casinos whose servers are located in Atlantic City, NJ. However, players from other states will not be allowed to participate in the gaming activities.

According to Senator Lesnaik’s bill, online gambling includes “poker, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, craps, big six wheel, slot machines, mini baccarat, Red Dog, Pai Gow, and Sic Bo, any variations or composites of such games, provided that such variations or composites, and any above listed game or variation or composite of such game to be offered through internet wagering.” The bill also included a 15% tax on gross revenue made off these online gambling sites.

Any casinos that offer online gambling in New Jersey will be licensed Atlantic City operators operating in Atlantic City. The bill was formulated to revive the flagging gaming industry in Atlantic City; in fact, another bill was also approved by the Senate which will see smaller casinos opening up in with 200 rooms instead of the current minimum of 500 rooms.

Should the bill get passed, it will undoubtedly bode well for the struggling Atlantic City gaming industry, however, one can’t help but wonder at the protectionist approach being taken by the state. Online casino operators in New Jersey will welcome European players however, instead of a quid pro quo, European casino operators are not allowed to market to or take on online players from New Jersey. One could be forgiven for considering this state of affairs to be one of gross double standards.

In the meanwhile, Senator Lesnaik appeared fairly confident that the bill which is now to be decided by Governor Chris Christie will get signed into law. He said, “I don’t think he’s going to have any option but to sign it before the end of the year.”

Written by Debbie Hall for Online Keno – your source for the latest online casino news