Playing Online Poker in New Jersey
New Jersey is hailed as one of the pioneers of the US based online gambling industry being one of the first three states to legalize online gambling for their residents and visitors. The Garden State's online gambling options include state licensed NJ online casinos and poker sites, with efforts currently underway to bring state based legal New Jersey online sports betting to the list as well. NJ launched their online poker offerings in late 2013, and enjoyed a strong entrance into the industry that was warmly received by poker players throughout the state. Though they have experienced minimal issues with the geolocation software and some problems with payment processing, the initial launch and months to follow resulted in a smooth and successful online poker platform for NJ poker players.
What Are My Options For Playing Legal Online Poker in New Jersey?
At the time of this writing, there are currently 4 state based iPoker sites available to players. These sites have received mixed reviews from industry professionals, with their software performance ranging from a grade of D- to a grade of B for a few of the brands. The same mixed response came in for their customer support and traffic as well. We can't be too critical of these poker sites yet as it really is a first time plunge into the industry for some of these brands. It may take a little time and tweaking before things are as perfect as we'd like to see. The 4 state licensed online poker sites in New Jersey include Borgata Poker, WSOP.com, 888poker and Ultimate Poker. Each of these sites also offers a mobile poker application as well. We are still in the process of reviewing these poker sites, and will provide our findings upon our completion. It is a lengthy process as we are extremely thorough in our efforts when it comes to our review process. We'd rather take our sweet time and be absolutely comprehensive than rush through to be the first to offer input.
In addition to the state regulated poker sites, players in NJ also have the option of visiting legally licensed and compliance certified poker sites that are regulated and located outside of the United States. Many of these brands have been legally providing their services to players in the US for years. Below we provide our recommendations for safe, legitimate and high quality offshore poker rooms here in this guide. While there are others out there accepting US players, they did not meet our stringent requirements for inclusion in our guide. These sites are legally licensed and subject to strict regulatory oversight from a respected and legitimate governing jurisdiction which has already legalized online gambling for their respective territories.
Most Trusted Legal Online Poker Sites Accepting New Jersey Residents
| Casino Name | Bonus Info | US Accepted |
|---|---|---|
| BetOnline Poker | 200% Free Max $2500 | Yes |
| SportsBetting.ag Poker | 200% Free Max $2500 | Yes |
| Carbon Poker | 200% Free Max $5000 | Yes |
State Based NJ Online Poker Sites vs Offshore Poker Sites Accepting NJ Players
There are pros and cons to each poker playing environment, but we wanted to point out a few facts which may assist players in determining which option suits their playing preferences and needs best.
Location
To enjoy the state licensed NJ online poker options, players must be physically present within the state's borders. If a NJ player travels out of state for any period of time, they will not be able to access their online poker account while they are out of state. The legal offshore brands offer 24/7 access regardless of where you are located within the United States. Players who travel frequently or for extended periods of time may want to take this into account.
Bonuses
Bonus offers and rewards /comp programs vary slightly between the state based and offshore poker sites. In general, poker bonuses tend to be lower than casino bonuses simply because the poker rooms make less per player due to the rake structure. However, the offshore poker rooms generally also offer much larger welcome bonuses than the state regulated sites do. We imagine that a part of the reason for this is because the state sanctioned poker rooms have a higher overhead due to the fact that they must have a physical presence in NJ to participate in the state's online gambling industry. This is a bit of a game changer when it comes to expenditures and room for generous bonuses and promos. Both platforms do have incentives in place to attract and retain players though, so players will always get something offered to them no matter where they decide to play.
Technology Glitches
The geolocation technology used by the state of NJ continues to experience issues in location verification, eliminating some players who are indeed located within the state's borders. While this issue is not widespread, it is inconvenient when it does occur. This issue is never presented at the offshore sites, though they do require players to provide identification verification through various documents as a safety precaution. This verification process does include proving your residential address.
Game Selection
At this time, the state licensed online poker sites are typically offering no limit Holdem on their game menu, while the offshore brands have multiple games to offer. This will likely change over time as the state based poker sites become more acclimated to the industry and begin expanding their offerings. They are still brand new and it is logical to start out with a focused operation and grow exponentially to your player base and traffic. Traffic at the state based poker rooms is usually much lower than the offshore brands who have a player pool that spans a global base. Player traffic can affect tournament activity and table options.
What About Online Poker's Black Friday?
Online poker Black Friday is a reference to the seizing of several prominent online poker sites by the Department of Justice as they investigated these sites for money laundering and other alleged violations of the UIGEA law. Despite some misconception out there to the contrary, this law does not prohibit US players from participating in online gambling. What it does do is provide regulatory oversight concerning how online gambling transactions can be processed. The poker sites which came into question on Black Friday were suspected of not adhering to the regulations included in this law, and were hence investigated. At no time were players targeted in this investigation as the law itself does not target players in any way. The law addresses online gambling site operators and payment processors. While player funds were temporarily frozen during parts of the investigation, eventually players did receive access to their money. This was done when freezing the sites assets was necessary, not as an attack against any players. Black Friday did not make it illegal to participate in legally licensed online poker offerings, nor did it mean that any poker players did anything wrong. There are no federal laws prohibiting US players from participating in online poker gambling that is operating legally within the industry.