New Jersey-based players have had a full year to reflect on ground-breaking legislation that now permits them to play online casino games for real money. In November 2013, Governor Christie endorsed legislation to permit legal age players in New Jersey to enjoy online casino games for real money. This is significant since it rewrites the gaming culture in the state, and quite possibly the US as a whole. Players across the US were badly burned when the notorious Black Friday of 2011 stripped the country of top online poker rooms like PokerStars, Party Poker, and FullTilt Poker. According to the terms of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), US banks and financial institutions are barred from transferring money to/from online casinos, online poker rooms and betting sites. While in most places, that might be with the exclusion of no deposit casinos (check this minimum deposit casino resource for instance), as players do not really need money to play these games, however, the legislation regarding New Jersey can be complex. In its simplest form, online gaming involving money is not permitted at federal level. Individual states have taken it upon themselves to legislate this issue and progress is certainly being made. Presently, New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada have authorized online gaming in varying degrees. New Jersey offers the full spectrum of casino games to all players aged 21 and above.
New Jersey Department of Gambling Enforcement (DGE)
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The framework for online gambling legislation in the Garden State falls under the purview of the DGE. In November 2013 all licensed land-based casinos with their online casino partners officially went live with a selection of online casino games for players across New Jersey. Sophisticated gaming technology was put into place to ensure that only New Jersey residents or visitors had access to real money casino games. This is verified by way of geolocation tracking technology which triangulates a player’s position. The issue was highly contentious in heavily populated border areas like Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York. In its infancy stages, the geolocation tracking technology was inaccurate and falsely included residents of other states, while sometimes excluding New Jersey residents from playing real money casino games. Players have to verify their identities with government issued ID/drivers licenses, or passports and Social Security cards.
CaesarsCasino.com Leading from the Front in New Jersey
There are several leading online casinos operating in New Jersey, with Caesars Online Casino at the helm. As Atlantic City’s premier land-based casino, Caesars Casino Atlantic City partnered with Caesars Interactive Entertainment to roll out Caesars Online Casino. This prestigious gaming operator features the full gamut of casino games, including slots online, roulette online, online blackjack, video poker games online and jackpot games. Top titles include Jacks or Better, European Roulette, Vegas Blackjack, Street Fighter II, King Kong and Star Trek. Online casino USA initiatives have certainly gained tremendous momentum from the success of the online gaming industry in New Jersey. As a result, Pennsylvania and California are now seriously considering introducing bills to allow online gaming in their jurisdictions too.
