New Jersey Announces 20th September Deadline for License Applications

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has announced a 20th September deadline for casino operators to apply for iGaming licenses in the state. After their online gambling bill was passed, this latest announcement paves the way for the first online casino in the US to go live by 23rd November – as New Jersey has previously promised.

American gambling laws changed earlier in 2013, allowing online gambling should individual states approve. So far, legislation has been passed in Nevada and Delaware, as well as New Jersey, although California recently missed a cut off point to get their draft bill looked at.

Of course, American gamblers are not being given free reign to play online and mobile casinos across state borders, instead limiting play to within each individual state. As such, there are a series of hoops for operators to jump through before they can be granted a real money license.

As such, in a letter to casinos, the New Jersey DGE stressed that all necessary documents needed to be submitted on time; otherwise they would not be able “to review and approve submissions and address licensing issues necessary for the issuance of a transactional waiver or Interim Casino Authorization”.

Some of the things that the casinos need to have in place are geolocation and know your customer software: the aim of which is preventing gambling across state lines. Other documentation the operators need to have in place includes player collusion, anti-money laundering and responsible gaming measures.

With the state already declaring that at least one online casino would be live before November 23rd, American online gambling is gearing up to take off. With big news in the pipeline – such as the potential for Google’s involvement in online gambling, with rumors they will buy Bwin – this is a time of changes in gambling, and not just in the US.