After a brief delay, New Jersey’s Department of Gaming Enforcement has giving the Golden Nugget the green light to conduct iGaming operations in the Garden State.
For Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget, late is better than never. The Golden Nugget was one of seven casino entities poised to launch an Internet gambling operation in New Jersey on the state’s mandated November 26th roll out date. Initially, all seems to go according to plan. But unfortunately, minor software glitches related to the site’s reporting services prevented it from being approved by the DGE for a public launch.
Fast forward nearly three weeks later, and the Nugget has seemingly resolved its issues. On Friday, it was approved to offer online gaming services to all inhabits of New Jersey. The Nugget’s iGaming software is provided by Bally Technologies.
The Golden Nugget is the seventh casino to enter New Jersey’s iGaming melting pot, following in the footsteps of the Borgata, Tropicana, Trump Plaza, Trump Taj Mahal, Caesars AC and Bally’s. Of the aforementioned, the Nugget is the only casino not to go live on November 26th, as all other eligible AC casinos proved their readiness during the five day soft launch that preceded the public roll out.
Resorts, Showboat and Harrah’s have yet to be approved for a permit. Recently, Resorts online partner PokerStars was rejected by the DGE, and as of now, will not be allowed to conduct iGaming operations in the Garden State for at least two years.
Due to financial difficulties, Revel and the Atlantic Club Casino have decided not to pursue iGaming at this time.
The Golden Nugget will be authorized to conduct operations, effective immediately. It will offer real-money casino-style table games, slots and online poker. The casino has been offering free-play online poker for some time, and currently boasts over 5000 Facebook fans. Whether or not these dedicated social grinders will take a shot at the major leagues is yet to be seen.
If they don’t, the Golden Nugget has real cause for concern. Sites like NJ.PartyPoker and WSOP.com have already established themselves within New Jersey’s burgeoning iGaming market. Others, Betfair and 888poker included, have failed to make a dent. Given this, it may prove difficult for the Golden Nugget to make its presence felt without offering something truly unique or special.
As of now, the Golden Nugget’s real-money casino appears to be operation, while the online poker room is listed as coming soon. Stay tuned for more developments.
