The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has stated that although its casino partner in the Golden State, that of the Trump Plaza, is closing down this September, the UK based gaming company will be able to continue with its online efforts in the state. The Trump Plaza is due to close its doors for the final time on September 16th adding further misery to the desperate New Jersey resort of Atlantic City, and if there is any good news to come out of it all it’s the fact that online gaming via Betfair may continue. In a statement released by the Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, David Roebuck, he stated that, “The division will consider input from all involved parties to ensure a smooth transition as Trump Plaza winds down its operations and as Betfair continues its igaming operations in the state.”
Online gaming regulations in New Jersey clearly state that an online casino serving residents of New Jersey must be licensed under an Atlantic City land based casino operator, and no details have been released as to Betfairs plans on how they intend to do this, or indeed a timeline. The struggles of Atlantic City have been well documented over the past few months and the Trump follows Revel Casino that also closed this month, and is being somewhat unfortunately labelled as Atlantic City’s most spectacular failure after costing $2.4 Billion to build and operating for less than 2 years. The Revel Casino never actually turned a profit and was doomed from the start, opening its doors as revenues in AC were dropping. What’s next for the troubled town is unsure but it’s highly unlikely that online gambling in the state can make up for anywhere near lost land based revenues, with credit card declines still a major issue, and the plain old fact that residents of the state have taken to the new offering with not much more than mild interest.
