Last week’s launch of online gaming sites in New Jersey was considered a success by all involved. The number of participants rose to the tens of thousands and quickly surpassed results in Nevada. Though lingering problems exist, they have done little to hinder those players from experiencing legal online poker and casino games provided by some of the biggest gaming companies in the United States and, in some cases, the world.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement may be overstating the launch’s success over the first few days, however. It asserts that the first full day of online gaming was “without a single glitch.” The regulatory body admitted that there were problems during the five-day testing period but the first official open day of play had none. Despite that, the 13 websites that went live did exhibit problems that were reported by players, most notably geolocation and payment processing troubles.
Opening Week Brings Big Numbers
The Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that 17,000 people took part in New Jersey’s online gaming test period. Over the course of five days those 17,000 people betting online translates to over 3,000 new users logging on each day. Some of those players were invited and offered financial incentives for participating in order to test the sites, but the process drew much attention and many new players.
After the first week of open gaming on the Internet in New Jersey, the DGE reported that more than 32,277 players were reported to have logged on to the sites as of November 28. Thousands of people were signing up each day, with the total rising over 40,000 by the weekend. This number pertains to signups and not actual real-money bets while some numbers might have overlap as players can start accounts on more than one site. The numbers are significant, however, and mark the largest expansion of gambling in the state since Atlantic City opened in 1978.
Problems Persist and Hinder Some Players
The aforementioned numbers might have been larger if not for the geolocation problems facing many potential players in New Jersey. Those who live near the state’s borders are being denied the ability to play because their location is not secure, according to the geolocation companies that are used to verify such information. Other players report problems with geolocation because their IP addresses are registered in other states.
One of the most significant problems facing New Jersey players is the ability to fund their accounts. Without the option to go to a local casino and deposit money for their Internet gaming accounts, they are forced to complete the process using e-commerce options. Major credit card issuers like Bank of America and Wells Fargo have opted not to accept online gaming transactions, exacerbating the issue.
Regardless, Internet gaming companies are dedicated to making the process work. They have partnerships with payment processing companies like Skrill that will facilitate transactions, and customer service departments are letting players know about any options available to them.
