Borgata Receives New Jersey's First Internet Gambling Permit
On Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ received the state's first Internet gambling permit.
According to a report from Wayne Perry of the Associated Press, the Division of Gaming Enforcement in NJ said Borgata was the first to file a complete application to offer online gambling, but that the casino must now wait until Nov. 21 to begin offering online gambling.
The Nov. 21 date is when the trial period is set to begin. If all goes well during the trial period, less than a week later, on Nov. 26, NJ residents and visitors within state lines will be allowed to participate in full online gaming.
Tom Ballance, Borgata president, stated that receipt of the first online gambling permit in the state exhibits the company's commitment to take a leading role in Internet gambling.
Borgata is a joint venture between Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts International, which first partnered with bwin.party digital entertainment in Oct. 2011 in what MGM Chief Executive Jim Murren called an "anticipatory" move "to be prepared should [online gambling] be legalized." The two sides have officially teamed up in New Jersey, and now that online gaming in the state become legalized, the launch is highly anticipated.
"It's always nice to be first in the queue," said Ballance. "Borgata and bwin.party are aggressively pursuing our objective of being among the first to launch online gaming in the state. We believe online gaming is an exciting growth opportunity for New Jersey's gaming industry, one that will generate significant benefits for the state as New Jersey assumes a leadership role in this emerging form of gaming entertainment."
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for more developments regarding NJ online gaming as the planned launch date grows closer.
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