ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) – New Jersey is allowing adults in the state to click a mouse or swipe a screen for a chance to win money, making it only the third U.S. state to offer online gambling.
A five-day trial period of Internet gambling began Thursday night when players invited by casinos to test their systems make real-money bets online.
If all goes well, Internet gambling will be available to gamblers in New Jersey starting Tuesday. The only other states with online gambling are Nevada and Delaware.
The casinos approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement collectively will offer 13 websites where customers can make real-money bets.
The participating casinos are the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa; the Tropicana Casino and Resort; Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino; the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort; Bally’s Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City, along with the Golden Nugget.
The test period was established to determine whether sophisticated technology designed to ensure that all gamblers are in New Jersey and at least 21 years old works correctly. The test also will evaluate electronic payment technology and the integrity and functionality of the casino games.
Hours before the test was to begin, a state lawmaker unveiled a proposal to lure foreign online gambling companies to New Jersey. Sen. Raymond Lesniak’s bill would entice foreign betting firms to set up shop in the state – even though they could only take bets from overseas gamblers – and be subject to New Jersey’s famously tough casino regulation.
The payoff to New Jersey would be a 15 percent tax on their winnings, plus payments into a fund to raise $20 million a year for three years for New Jersey’s struggling horse racing industry. Lesniak said the foreign companies want the stamp of approval that strict New Jersey regulation would bring.
___
Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
