Legislation
US – New Jersey moving towards mobile gaming bill
By Phil - 17 October 2013
The state of New Jersey is now preparing to go live with its online gambling domains that should be a reality at the end of November.
The action is finally taking place after a long fight to pass the bill that would allow such gambling capability through legislation. The state is now delving into mobile gambling, and analysts are currently speculating that it will go live with the first ever mobile casino in the United States.
New Jersey is just one of three states that legalized online gambling and only one of two who authorized all casino games. It has thus become a focus for international, Canadian, and US gaming operations operators. The state is recognised now as the largest online gambling market in the American jurisdiction, according to the latest numbers.
The difference between NJ and Nevada is that the latter state restricted digital betting to poker, while New Jersey has allowed all upcoming gaming domains onto all mobile platforms. The mobile casinos will come with some restrictions and will be hampered by cross-platform use at first. And while Nevada has won the race to online gaming fist, while New Jersey is expected to enjoy the first mobile casino.
Notable launches are expected to pay big for the state and the local government. Atlantic City casinos stand to gain heavily from the legalization, while the American Gaming Association has now released a US Gambling activity study from 2012, which noted $2.6 billion is spent in the United States, despite gambling bans.
Data has thus proven that digital gaming is a large market to take advantage of, and the industry is ready for the switch of platforms. With mobile gambling taking advantage of both the well-established gambling industry, as well as the ever-growing mobile industry, New Jersey will likely see only quality returns with its investment to push the legislation through.
