The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has given approval to six casinos in the state to launch full online gambling services following the conclusion of a five-day trial period.
According to ABC News, all legal players within the state’s border can now access online gambling services offered by the approved operators.
The list of licensed companies that are permitted to launch a full service includes land-based operator Caesars Interactive Entertainment and its partners, betting company 888 Holdings and online poker and casino provider Amaya Gaming.
In addition, the Trump Plaza Hotel and betting exchange, casino, and sportsbook operator Betfair have been given the go-ahead, as have the Trump Taj Mahal and Ultimate Gaming.
Online gaming operator bwin.party and its licensed gaming operator partner the Borgata Hotel & Spa will also launch a full service, as will the Tropicana Casino and Resort and its partner, casino and bingo operator Gameseys.
New Jersey regulators had published an initial list of seven casinos that were permitted to go live with their online gambling services during the five-day trial.
The only operator that has been asked to undergo further testing after the conclusion of the trial is the Golden Nugget Atlantic City and its partner, online casino games and solutions company Bally Technologies.
Tom Pohlman, Golden Nugget Atlantic City’s general manager, said that there were some content issues that would have made logging on and playing an unsatisfactory experience for players in the state. He said such glitches could be fixed within a week.
“Playing slots randomly would freeze up and generate an error message,” he said. “That is not the experience I want for my customers. We’d rather get it right than be embarrassed by something that doesn’t work. This is not a sprint for us; it’s a marathon.”
David Rebuck, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s director, did not disclose how many players had accessed online gambling during the trial but did state it had topped 10,000 early on.
He added that he did not expect many issues to be raised in reference to operators that have been given approval to fully launch their own services.
Many of the problems reported during the test period were in relation to geolocation issues, something Rebuck said were matters for the casinos and their technology partners to fix, rather than a widespread issue for state regulators.
“At this point in time, the casinos are trying to gear up for larger play in the state,” Rebuck said. “I don’t expect any widespread, significant problems.”
