Bill to Allow New Jersey to Enter International Online Gambling Liquidity Agreements

A New Jersey lawmaker introduced in late November a bill that, if passed by the state Legislature, would allow locally licensed iGaming operators to accept international players from countries where online gambling is legal.

In addition, the bill would scrap a previous provision in New Jersey’s existing gambling laws that operators must base their gaming services in Atlantic City in order to be allowed to operate in the state.

Senate Bill 3536 is authored by Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a long-time gambling expansion proponent and an active participant in the process of legalization of online gaming in the state. Word about his intention to propose changes in the existing iGaming regulations first spread in August, when the lawmaker announced that he was working on a bill and that he would introduce it by the end of that month.

However, it was not before late November that the legislative piece was actually introduced. Generally speaking, the bill proposes the amendment of the state’s current gambling regulations that would allow for online gaming equipment to be located outside Atlantic City. The move would pave the way for the creation of international online gaming liquidity.

At present, all the necessary equipment and servers need to be based at a casino in Atlantic City. In addition, players from anywhere outside New Jersey are absolutely prohibited from participating in any form of online gambling activity conducted within the state’s borders.

Sen. Lesniak has expressed optimism that a change in the status quo and a permission for international pooling as well as pooling between states where iGaming is legal would further boost the state’s online gambling sector

What Is Next for Sen. Lesniak’s Online Gambling Bill

Sen. Lesniak has previously announced that he would retire upon the end of the current legislative term. In other words, his bill will have up to January 9, 2018 to be passed by the Legislature. According to gambling analysts, the piece of legislation actually has serious chance to gain the necessary support from lawmakers before that date. It is also important to note that player pooling has been a move that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has long been lobbying for.

It was announced back in November that New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, which were, at the time, the only three states where online gambling was legal, had signed a shared online poker liquidity compact that would allow for online poker operators to merge their pools in the three states. The move was undertaken as part gambling regulators’ attempts to revitalize the game of poker, particularly in Nevada and Delaware, where it has seen continued drop in revenue for the past years. The shared liquidity project is intended to make it possible for players to participate in larger pools and win bigger prizes for their participation.

The post Bill to Allow New Jersey to Enter International Online Gambling Liquidity Agreements appeared first on Casino News Daily.

Bill to Allow New Jersey to Enter International Online Gambling Liquidity Agreements

A New Jersey lawmaker introduced in late November a bill that, if passed by the state Legislature, would allow locally licensed iGaming operators to accept international players from countries where online gambling is legal.

In addition, the bill would scrap a previous provision in New Jersey’s existing gambling laws that operators must base their gaming services in Atlantic City in order to be allowed to operate in the state.

Senate Bill 3536 is authored by Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a long-time gambling expansion proponent and an active participant in the process of legalization of online gaming in the state. Word about his intention to propose changes in the existing iGaming regulations first spread in August, when the lawmaker announced that he was working on a bill and that he would introduce it by the end of that month.

However, it was not before late November that the legislative piece was actually introduced. Generally speaking, the bill proposes the amendment of the state’s current gambling regulations that would allow for online gaming equipment to be located outside Atlantic City. The move would pave the way for the creation of international online gaming liquidity.

At present, all the necessary equipment and servers need to be based at a casino in Atlantic City. In addition, players from anywhere outside New Jersey are absolutely prohibited from participating in any form of online gambling activity conducted within the state’s borders.

Sen. Lesniak has expressed optimism that a change in the status quo and a permission for international pooling as well as pooling between states where iGaming is legal would further boost the state’s online gambling sector

What Is Next for Sen. Lesniak’s Online Gambling Bill

Sen. Lesniak has previously announced that he would retire upon the end of the current legislative term. In other words, his bill will have up to January 9, 2018 to be passed by the Legislature. According to gambling analysts, the piece of legislation actually has serious chance to gain the necessary support from lawmakers before that date. It is also important to note that player pooling has been a move that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has long been lobbying for.

It was announced back in November that New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, which were, at the time, the only three states where online gambling was legal, had signed a shared online poker liquidity compact that would allow for online poker operators to merge their pools in the three states. The move was undertaken as part gambling regulators’ attempts to revitalize the game of poker, particularly in Nevada and Delaware, where it has seen continued drop in revenue for the past years. The shared liquidity project is intended to make it possible for players to participate in larger pools and win bigger prizes for their participation.

The post Bill to Allow New Jersey to Enter International Online Gambling Liquidity Agreements appeared first on Casino News Daily.

Trust the magic of new beginnings with Wazdan’s Magic Hot 4 Deluxe!

Popular software provider, Wazdan casts a spell on the reels of its new Magic Hot 4 Deluxe slot to award players with best gameplay ever! Sometimes a little bit of magic is needed if you want to create an extraordinary gaming product. Wazdan‘s team believes in magic and decided to devote their new game to magical superpowers! Offering improved graphics ...

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The first non-Russian online betting brand – Bwin enters Russia

The multinational sports betting and gaming group GVC Holdings PLC and DIGITAL BETTING LTD, supported by Rambler&Co, the Russian media group, are proud to announce that Bwin enters Russia with the launch of bwin.ru, the first non-Russian online betting brand officially licensed and operated in the country. As Bwin enters Russia, Bwin.ru will offer its clients an innovative product for ...

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United Kingdom casino industry issues GambleAware funding pledge

In the United Kingdom, last week saw the National Casino Forum trade group announce that its members had voluntarily agreed for the very first time to donate a minimum of 0.1% of their annual gross gaming yields to the GambleAware responsible gambling charity. The National Casino Forum represents some 97% of the nation’s land-based casino operators and declared that the new GambleAware guarantee is designed to exhibit its ‘commitment to meet or exceed the voluntary annual funding target for the sector’. As part of their licensing conditions, every one of the United Kingdom’s casino operators are required to make annual financial contributions to organizations that conduct research into ways of minimizing gambling-related harm while also developing prevention and treatment programs. GambleAware was established under an agreement between the industry, government and the Gambling Commission regulator in 2012 to raise cash for the implementation of the National Responsible Gambling Strategy but last year revealed that it was 20% short of its annual fundraising target of £10 million ($13.45 million) despite a record number of donations. Tracy Damestani, Chief Executive for the National Casino Forum, stated that most of the United Kingdom’s casino operators had previously channeled their minimum donations to GambleAware through her trade body while moreover often giving to other charities. But, the new guarantee means that her group has now changed its membership terms in order to earmark the full 0.1% of annual gross gaming yields to GambleAware with any contributions to other charities classed as in addition to this amount and documented separately. Damestani described the new funding pledge as an ‘historic commitment’ that is to be underpinned by the introduction of a ‘transparent new payment system’. “The casino sector has always supported fundraising for research, education and treatment and casino operators are determined to go beyond both the letter and the spirit of the act in their support for responsible and safer gambling,” read a statement from Damestani. “They want to ensure that research, education, prevention and treatment programs are fully funded across the gambling industry.”

Surveillance Rooms at Las Vegas Casinos Often Lightly Staffed

For anyone who wants to cheat or steal at a major casino, the biggest deterrent isn’t the staff on the gaming floor, but rather the all-seeing eyes of the countless security cameras being monitored by surveillance staff.

But a new report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal has found that many casinos in Las Vegas have very few people attempting to keep track of everything going on in their resorts.

According to the report, there are rarely more than five people working on a given shift in the surveillance rooms of even the largest properties in the city, and that number is usually even lower, especially when breaks are taken into account.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board does require that casinos have surveillance rooms that are manned by staff that are familiar with both gaming rules and the equipment being used. However, they do not require that more than one person be present at any time. In order to allow for breaks, the room can even be completely unmanned for up to one hour during each eight-hour shift.

Vegas Uses Smaller Surveillance Crews Than Most Jurisdictions

That said, Control Board chief of enforcement Karl Bennison says his team has never seen an unmanned surveillance room during any of their inspections. Casino surveillance specialist Willy Allison says that, typically, most Las Vegas casinos have two to three people working any given shift.

Allison called that “very lean,” saying that gaming venues in other jurisdictions typically have about one person on duty for every 25 table games, and that Vegas resorts might want even more staff on hand given the additional foot traffic they attract.

“Considering the volume of people and money in Vegas casinos, their staffing levels are surprising to me and way below worldwide standards,” he said.

Some Las Vegas casinos are also behind the times technologically. Operators are still allowed to use analog tapes and VCRs to monitor their gaming floors. When this is the method used, the video resolution must be high enough to identify individuals, cards, and chips, and the tapes must be held for at least seven days before they can be erased or reused.

The report stated that some Las Vegas Strip properties still use VCRs for their security systems, though it did not go into the details of any individual operator’s procedures.

Casinos Keep Security Measures Under Wraps

The report comes at a time when Las Vegas casinos are being particularly guarded about their security measures. In the wake of the October 1 mass shooting in the city, few casinos are willing to talk about how many security guards they employ or what training they receive.

There are no regulations in place that specify how many security personnel a casino must employee or what other measures they should take to safeguard patrons. C. David Shepherd, the former head of surveillance at The Venetian, told the Review-Journal that “there are no carbon copies,” and that every casino has unique needs when it comes to security.

Las Vegas surveillance systems were once again in the news last week when a robbery took place at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. The suspect can be clearly seen on video demanding money from the casino’s poker cage, though parts of his face were obscured by a mask.

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Mohegan Sun welcomes comedian Dane Cook

One of the most prolific stand-up comedians of the last decade will visit the Mohegan Sun Arena on 21 April.