2014 is here and it already seems to be speeding right along, but last year saw the arrival of Internet poker in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. The historic 2013 had those three states as the only inclusions in the burgeoning and early Internet gambling industry in the United States, with Nevada delivering Internet poker first. Although New Jersey was actually last to the Internet gambling table, the Garden State has led the way in total Internet gaming accounts opened since almost the very beginning.
After a soft launch with minimal access, New Jersey delivered a full slate of casino games including Texas Hold ‘Em and other forms of Atlantic City online poker, as well as virtual casino table games and slots on November 26. In less than five weeks, New Jersey reached over 125,000 Internet gambling accounts opened to ring out 2013 and ring in the new year. And probably what is most impressive about this number is that the totals have been growing at a steady rate. It was expected that New Jersey would have an account opening spike as soon as Internet gambling was legalized there, and that did occur.
However, the state has been signing up right at 3,000 new account holders each and every day on average, showing support for continued growth going forward into 2014. This most recent figure was released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, and came with a couple of days still left for the end of 2013. The exact number (126,231 unique accounts opened) included all new accounts created through December 29 of last year by Internet casino and poker gamers who had to be legally within the state’s boundaries to register and fund an online gambling account.
While this number may include multiple accounts opened by a single person for whatever reason, it still easily leads the nation, and makes sense when you consider that New Jersey is home to more than two times the combined populations of Delaware and Nevada. And that number is no doubt going to grow in 2014 and the future.
Some of the most popular and exciting Atlantic City casino names in the gambling industry are helping to deliver Internet wagering options for casino and poker lovers in that state, including the Borgata, Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, Tropicana Casino and Resort, Caesars Atlantic City, Bally’s Atlantic City and the Golden Nugget. And more operators can be licensed to deliver an Internet gambling presence in the future.
New Jersey is also currently undergoing negotiations with several firms in Europe and other countries which would allow their citizens to register and fund an Internet gaming account in the Silver State. While Nevada and Delaware are also holding talks with other states and countries to expand their player pools, the early success in New Jersey is likely going to show that state as the first to sign a significant Internet gambling compact with another jurisdiction.
There are also multiple casino hotels in Atlantic City which have already secured Internet gaming licenses, and are simply waiting on approval of their software and websites to begin delivering virtual gambling options, which would further extend New Jersey’s total account lead over the less populated Nevada and Delaware. New Jersey claims about 8.87 million residents, compared to Nevada’s 2.76 million and Delaware’s 917,000.