New Jersey is preparing to go live with online gambling domains by the end of November after a prolonged fight to pass the legislation. The Garden State now appears to be delving into mobile gambling, and analysts speculate New Jersey will go live with the first mobile casino in the US.
New Jersey is one of three states, alongside Nevada and Delaware, to legalize online gambling, and one of only two – the other being Delaware – to authorize all casino games. New Jersey quickly became the focus of US, Canadian, and international gaming operators as the state is recognized as the largest legal online gambling market in American jurisdiction.
But unlike Nevada, which restricted digital betting to poker only, New Jersey can freely transition upcoming online gaming domains onto mobile platforms. A mobile poker network is restricted in what it offers to gamers, and is a different platform than a mobile casino. As a result while Nevada won the race to go live with online gambling, New Jersey is expected to be the first state to authorize mobile casinos.
The upcoming launches are expected to pay off in a big way for the New Jersey government, as well as Atlantic City casinos which stand to financially benefit from the digital revenues. The American Gaming Association released a study on active US gambling in 2012, which found Americans spent $2.6 billion on online gambling despite federal bans.
The data is proof that a US digital gaming market is very active, and ready for domestically licensed betting platforms. The mobile gambling market is also one of the fastest growing segments of the industry, and New Jersey will reach even more state residents with mobile casinos.
