New Jersey iGaming Discussed at ECGC

Last week saw the 19th edition of the East Coast Gaming Congress (ECGC) which took place Wednesday and Thursday at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. The event saw some of the biggest names from the land-based and iGaming industry convening to look at the status of gambling and online gambling in the US.

State of NJ iGaming

One of the key subjects discussed at ECGC was the current state of the iGaming industry in New Jersey. Despite the slow start that the Garden State experienced with online gambling, the overall sentiment and verdict at the congress was that NJ iGaming is a success.

Pala Interactive Gaming CEO Jim Ryan has shown that NJ iGaming players are strong loyalty-wise, remaining in playing activity for longer periods of time than players in Europe. Tom Ballance from Borgata and Thomas Winter from Golden Nugget have talked about an influx of new players at NJ iGaming businesses, noticing that the players are of younger ages.

Sheldon Adelson and Sports Betting

In a session discussing the future and what potential iGaming jurisdictions can learn from the East Coast experience, NJ state Senator Raymond Lesniak attributed the slow growth of iGaming in the US to Sheldon Adelson and his stubborn battle against it.

In the sports betting front, the NFL was criticized for its abstention from holding any future Super Bowls in states that allow sports betting. Critics outlined the hypocrisy of denying sports betting and at the same time not caring for fantasy sports. NJ officials are expecting a positive ruling in the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals to see if its sports betting law can pass, but some are less optimistic.

Reasons for Success

NJ iGaming has been doing well despite the economic difficulties faced by land-based Atlantic City gambling businesses. The success of NJ iGaming was attributed mainly to the efforts made by casinos and their focus on consumer protection.