by Wayne Parry, Pioneer Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Nevada and New Jersey once had the country to themselves when it came to casino gambling. Now, with the sudden advent of Internet gambling, those states are expected to slug it out again for dominance of the fledgling U.S. online betting market.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a law Tuesday legalizing Internet betting, days after Nevada did the same. And Delaware could have its online betting operation up and running by late September.
Industry executives say a key to who will dominate the industry will be how online betting is regulated by different states. That, in turn, will affect the interstate compacts that are likely to quickly expand the market.
Online poker is expected to be one of the most popular offerings.
“Nevada is jumping on this very quickly,” said Joseph Brennan Jr., director of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association. “They clearly want to pit themselves against New Jersey.”
Indeed, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval had urged his state’s lawmakers to quickly get him an Internet gambling bill to sign, which he did on Feb. 21—a week before Christie signed his in New Jersey. And Nevada’s Assembly majority leader, William Horne, couldn’t resist a Jersey jab, adding, “As to our competitor, New Jersey, they should be accustomed to following Nevada.”
Nevada already has about 20 applications from various operators, equipment and software vendors to be licensed for online gambling.
Rest is here
