There was a major announcement made in the U.S. online casino industry, as 888 Holdings has announced plans to leave the state of New Jersey. This is just another example of an operator from the UK leaving the United States due to lack of revenue in comparison to other big names.
The 888casino NJ is set to shut down for good on June 3rd, taking away one of the best online poker rooms from the industry. This used to be one of the top online poker sites in the state, but that is just no longer the case.
While it’s never a good thing for an industry to lose an online casino option, it is not expected to hurt the overall numbers that this state has been putting out. Some were concerned that this move would hurt the WSOP games offered in the state, but that is not going to be the case.
There is still some time for players in the state to enjoy 888poker, but players in the state are also going to want to start making different plans.
New Jersey Not Used to This
New Jersey is a huge name when it comes to online poker and other iGaming options, and it’s a market that most work hard to join. There hasn’t been an online poker operator leave the state since 2014, and that will send shockwaves throughout the market.
888poker just recently left the state of Delaware, and there have also been some changes made to the operator in Ontario, Canada. WSOP is going to be updating its servers after this departure, and the older version of 888poker is not going to be used anywhere in the country.
This was a move that was expected from 888 Holdings as other operators in the state have simply passed it by. Despite being one of the oldest and most recognizable brands in the state of New Jersey, 888poker just wasn’t seeing much action over the last few years.
License to Remain Open
It’s not uncommon for operators to leave the iGaming industry as this has been done in states all throughout the country over the last few years. Those open licenses are usually filled almost immediately by other operators, but that is not going to be the case in New Jersey.
Hard Rock Digital currently allowed 888poker to offer an online poker room with that license, but there won’t be another operator entering the state. Hard Rock Bet is currently offered online casino gaming and a sportsbook, but there is no online poker offered.
This means that players at 888poker are soon going to see their accounts closed, and they will need to act quickly. Withdrawing funds is something that 888poker players need to do almost immediately or else the money is going to be lost forever.
Even though this move was coming at some point from 888 Holdings, it comes at a time when WSOP is getting ready to make even bigger moves. Michigan is set to join the pool with New Jersey and Nevada to create even bigger tournaments.
