Atlantic City Casinos On Board for Online Gambling

Atlantic City casinos, once thought to be strongly opposed to legalizing online gaming in the state of New Jersey, are now saying that they would be reading and willing to take advantage of a regulatory framework that allowed New Jersey residents to gamble online. This position was articulated by Mark Juliano, president of the New Jersey Casino Association, while speaking before a legislative summit about the state’s gaming industry.

“We are all working with software programs to provide a mode for online poker rooms and casino games and we’re obviously watching the legislation on this very carefully,” Juliano said. “We do think that it is inevitable that it will pass at some point and we’re just waiting for some legislative direction.”

However, Juliano also made the point that the NJCA still believes the ultimate solution to regulated online gambling will come from the federal government, rather than on the state level. When asked about online sports betting, Juliano repeated the same stance, saying that “it’s not a statewide issue. It’s a federal issue.”

It’s likely that at least some of the shift in the NJCA’s position is due to the progress seen by the online gambling regulation bill currently working its way through the House of Representatives. The bill, proposed by Rep. Barney Frank, would create a regulatory system where operators could apply for licenses to offer online gambling services for Americans. While the bill is still considered a longshot to become law, and is even less likely to be voted into law this year, its progress has shown that there is some traction in the movement to legalize online gambling. The state of New Jersey has also contemplated approving intra-state online gambling as a way to raise additional revenue, a step that California has also considered.

Atlantic City has long been a gambling destination for people throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. However, it now faces stiff competition from casinos that have opened in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, all of which threaten to splinter the regional market. The legislative summit was held to discuss potential ideas for the future of Atlantic City.