New Jersey is home to the most fascinating online casino market in the United States today. Unlike in most states, here you can play on locally regulated, fully licensed sites, most of which are operated directly by Atlantic City resorts. You’ll see them advertised on television just like any other product, and yes: they’re completely, 100% legal in every way.
If you want to gamble online in New Jersey, these sites are a great way to do so, as they provide a safe, trustworthy environment with oversight from the state government. Let’s take a deeper look into how the state’s online gaming marketplace works, and how it got to where it is today.
The story of Internet casinos in New Jersey dates back to 2011. That’s when State Senator Raymond Lesniak first saw his bill, which would allow for online gambling sites to be based in Atlantic City, pass through the New Jersey Legislature. It appeared to be a first-in-the-nation breakthrough for gaming fans, but it wasn’t to be: Governor Chris Christie vetoed the bill based on a variety of different concerns.
But later that year, the US Justice Department issued a legal opinion that ushered in the current era of state-level Internet gambling. The opinion was essentially a clarification of the Wire Act, saying that its provisions only applied to sports betting, and not to online casino games as a whole.
With that new development, legislators went back to work to develop a bill that would be legal under federal law and meet the governor’s concerns. In 2013, a new version of the bill was easily passed in the state legislature, this time clearly limiting operations to Atlantic City’s resort casinos. This time around, Governor Christie decided to sign the bill into law on February 26, 2013.
By November 2013, the first sites had been launched, and despite a few initial issues with geolocation technology, the market has continued to expand since then. Today, five different resort owners, along with their partners, operate more than 15 different gaming sites available to New Jersey residents.
Unlike states like Nevada, which only allows for online poker, New Jersey has a full Internet gaming market, allowing for almost the full range of games you might play at a brick-and-mortar establishment. That includes slots, table games, and poker.
First of all, there are numerous casino sites, most named after the Atlantic City casinos they are associated with or their partners. You can play at any of these great websites:
The state has seen several Internet poker sites open and close in the past few years, but that market seems to be pretty healthy at the moment. Two clear factions have emerged to battle it out here: Caesars, along with their partner 888poker, and the Borgata, which works with PartyPoker. The full range of poker sites include:
One gaming area that hasn’t become regulated in the state yet is online sports betting, though state officials would almost certainly like to expand into that segment. The issue has become a major point of contention between New Jersey and the federal government, with the state fighting (and so far, losing) legal battles in an effort to allow sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
There are a few rules you’ll want to be aware of if you plan on trying out any of the Internet casinos in New Jersey. First, these sites are only available within state borders. The companies running them use advanced geolocation technology to ensure that only gamblers physically in the state can play on their sites; even those just over the border in Pennsylvania or New York are unable to participate.
On the other hand, you do not need to be a resident of the state in order to play. Anyone who visits can try out these sites, provided that they are at least 21 years old. All you need to do is register for the sites of your choice, go through the identity and location verification process, and you can hop right into playing your favorite games!
Of course, in order to play for real money, you’ll also need to get cash into your casino accounts. There are a number of different banking options available to players here, with the exact options varying depending on the casino or poker room you’re playing in.
The most popular way to deposit may still be with a credit card. Both Visa and MasterCard are taken by all sites in the state, and acceptance rates for these cards are improving – early on, many banks were still rejecting even these legal and regulated Internet gambling transactions, but that situation is constantly improving.
E-wallet sites are also quite popular in the state, as they allow players to manage both deposits and withdrawals from many different sites using a single account. Neteller and Skrill are both widely available, while PayPal is also available at some operators.
Many other options are commonly offered. Most sites will let you make a bank transfer or e-check, for instance, and there are prepaid systems that work with local retailers. And since every site is attached to an Atlantic City resort, you can often go right up to the cage and make a deposit in cash if that’s the most convenient method for you!
With so many choices available to players, it can be hard to figure out which is the best New Jersey online casino for you. Our reviews will help you pick one by providing all of the most important information about each site: the games they offer, the promotions you can take advantage of, and the overall reputation of the groups that run them.
If you have any other questions about the state’s online gambling market, you might want to check out our FAQ, which breaks down many of the most common questions about Internet gaming in the Garden State. Otherwise, we hope we can help you find a great gambling site that you can start playing on today!
