Unexpected turn of events with online casinos in New Jersey

Posted under Casino News, US casino news by Online Casino Keeper

During the last few months everyone from online gambling world has been discussing a chance for New Jersey to become the first state which will legalize online casinos. We want to remind you that at the beginning of 2010 New Jersey started promoting the bill S490, according to which it would be legal to gamble online at the territory of this state. The government wanted land based casinos from Atlantic City, which is the second largest centre of gambling after Las Vegas, to establish online casinos in New Jersey.

It should be noted that New Jersey efforts were successful and the progress was really evident. Not so long ago the bill S490 was passed by the State Senate Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee, and this fact only added to the confidence about the positive outcome. Even the experts and specialists told that the legalization of online casinos and online poker rooms there is quite possible and may happen in the nearest future. It would seem that nothing can interfere with the situation, but nevertheless it happened.

Last week the situation changed in a quite unexpected way. No one could predict such course of the events. The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) announced that it didn’t want this bill to be passed. In fact, this organization represents all land based casinos from Atlantic City. And this body, which should be in fact interested in legalization of online gambling, has written a letter to the chairman of the Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee in the Assembly, where it asked to postpone the accepting of the bill. Moreover, there was also written, that if it doesn’t happen, then it would have to apple to the Attorney General and wait for his decision. Then the president of CANJ and the vice president and general counsel at the Borgata, Joseph Corbo, explained the grounds for writing such a letter. He said that the owners of land based casinos are interesting in making gambling sites legal, but they want it to happen on a federal level.

One of the reasons was also the fact, that if Atlantic City established online casinos, then it would lose the status of a centre of gambling and they don’t want it to happen. However, a leading gaming expert, Frank Catania, said that this opinion is absolutely wrong, and Internet gambling would on the contrary attract another generation of young people. He explained, that today the youth doesn’t go to traditional gambling houses, and it would be a great opportunity to change this state of matters.

Certainly, such step was unexpected, and the reasons are not still very clear. However, the experts predict that the CANJ wouldn’t be able to prevent the bill from being passed. Catania said, that this body had never succeeded in such matters before. So we all should hope that the bill will be passed in the Senate and through the Assembly and at least New Jersey online casinos will be absolutely legal. Moreover, it may become a good example for the other states, for Nevada, for example, which also has recently introduced a similar bill to the local government.