How Profitable Is Online Gaming In New Jersey
New Jersey has become the pioneer of online casino gambling in the United States. While online gambling is popular in other parts of the world, America has been slow about allowing online gambling to be legalized. There are a few states that have allowed poker and slots, but many still are staunchly against it. So why all the resistance and why shouldn't a state allow something that can bring more revenues to them? The answer is quite simple, some are afraid it will ruin their brick and mortar establishments, and others just don't want to legalize gambling at all.
The state of New Jersey has always been a leader when it comes to gambling. Like Las Vegas, Atlantic City has long been known as one of the hubs of activity. From casinos to shows and fabulous restaurants, it is a vacation hot spot for those who love to gamble. Jersey also has something over on Vegas, the fabulous beaches. Brining a family to this area is more feasible because there is fun in the sun too. The temperatures aren't as extreme as the Vegas desert either.
Jersey is proof that the concept of online gambling can be mingled with physical establishments. All up and down the coast of Atlantic City, the businesses remain intact and thriving. However, the fear that online gambling will cut into this revenue is real, but unfounded. What online gambling does is reach out to another group of people. These people probably work long hours and cannot make it to a brick and mortar establishment. It also appeals to the disabled or the elderly who maybe don't have a way out of the home.
Were there problems in setting up the online community in Jersey, absolutely? There are complications when implementing anything new. Thankfully, the use of the geo tracking features in the Casio software allowed the player's locations to be identified, and it showed that they were compliant within the locational boundaries. Account funding was another initial problem. But thanks to the prominent digital wallet and prepaid deposit methods, it brought gamblers back to the US gambling markets.
There are currently 15 New Jersey online gambling sites run by the state. Online gambling opened in November of 2013. By January 2014, the gaming authority already showed revenues of $8.4 million dollars. They anticipate that by 2015 the numbers will reach $200-$300 million. Numbers also show that online sites and their ability to cannibalize land-based gambling revenue are unfounded. Data collected displayed that 50% of gamblers were online users only, and these people didn't attend physical establishments. They anticipate that 60-70% of user will be those who never went to a brick and mortar business at all.
With 155,000 players active online in Jersey, and the revenues they have already produced, it should send up signals to the rest of the states. California is anticipated to be the next state to legalize, with many others following behind. Some states have suggested that they will never legalize, and this will be their loss. If anything, New Jersey has proven this is a great way to bring in extra revenues for the state with little overhead.