New Jersey Online Casino Bill Update

A new gaming bill on the table in New Jersey seems to have the support of online poker rooms and online casinos. The bill, sponsored by New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak, allows New Jersey residents to legally play at casino and poker rooms online through specific Atlantic City casinos.

This will be one step toward legalizing online casinos in the United States; it will also allow Atlantic City casinos to offer online gaming. The bill also calls for the creation of a Division of Internet Wagering, which would operate under the Casino Control Commission already in existence in New Jersey.

Joe Brennan, Jr., the chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association said that upon reading the bill his group finds no opposition to the proposal.

“People will continue to play at existing sites. That’s the incentive to get casinos to cut deals with existing operators,” he said. “They don’t want to go to the trouble of building it and not have people show up. If casinos and existing online operators want a future, both need to find a way to accommodate each other. Casinos have to find a way to work with exiting operators to get their sites up and running.”

Under the bill, the New Jersey Gaming Control Commission will be able to slap online casinos with $100,000 fines if they do not get the approval of the gaming commission before beginning operations. However, exiting online casinos and poker rooms who operate offshore are not under the jurisdiction of New Jersey and therefore would not be subject to the $100,000 fine.

Atlantic City casinos have seen loses over the past couple of years as people gamble less and more online casinos and poker rooms begin to take some of the gaming money from brick and mortar casinos. The bill is an effort to assist the struggling Atlantic City casinos and help them restore to their previous financial highs.

Operators of offshore casinos or new casino or poker rooms who want to legally operate in New Jersey will pay an up-front fee of $200,000 and a license is required, renewable each year. That will cost the operators $100,000 a year. The bill also levies a required $100,000 one-time payment, which will help build a gambling addiction help fund.

Party Gaming Signs Phil Tufnell

In an attempt to boost the online casino site Party Casino, PartyGaming.com — an online gaming giant — has signed up Phil Tufnell to be the first celebrity ambassador of the site.

Tufnell, a former reality TV star and cricket player, was chosen due to his broad appeal, according to a spokesman for PartyGaming.com. It’s believed that Tufnell appeals to both me and women and is well known due to his success in the cricket world and his appearance on the reality show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”

As part of his duties, Tufnell will appear in television ads and an outdoor advertising campaign for Party Casino, which are designed to highlight the broad range of games available at Party Casino.

Tufnell was quoted as saying, “I had a lot of fun making the ads. I’m hoping this is the start of a long-term relationship with Party Gaming. I have advertised Party Casino, but I am also a keen poker player so I have a huge interest in sister site, Party Poker.”

Online gaming is catching fire in the UK, especially among women who have reported they find online casinos safer than brick and mortar casinos. According to a survey by the Gambling Commission in the UK, among 5,000 adults surveyed, a total of 7.7 percent of women reported they gambled in the first three months in 2009. That compares favorably to 5 percent in 2006.

Overall, 9.9 percent of people reported they gambled during the first quarter of last year, up from 7.2 percent in 2006.