Online Gambling in New Jersey
Online gambling is any type of gambling conducted online. This includes casinos, virtual poker and online sports betting. The first online gambling site opened for the public, was online ticketing for the prestigious Liechtenstein International Poker Tournament in 1994. Since then there have been many online gambling sites which have become popular and as such the law continues to change so that new sites can continue to grow.
Some states have gone as far as banning online gambling altogether. In the state of Florida, online gambling has become illegal to conduct through means of computers or other electronic devices. The Florida Supreme Court Justices ruled that the Gambling Commission had exceeded their power by blocking online gambling in the state. However, the Court did not rule out the future of online gambling, only that they did not have the power to ban it. This leaves the door wide open to online gambling, but it remains illegal to conduct business through a computer or electronic device in these states.
Some online casinos games like poker are offered to players in different countries for their benefit in winnings or to try them out. There are still however many states that have enacted some form of law against online gambling. One state that has this issue up in mind is New Jersey. The State of New Jersey is one of the most restrictive states when it comes to online gambling. So it is best to check the laws in your own state before you start or conduct business on a website that does offer games like poker and blackjack through online gambling.
The U.S. House and Senate recently passed legislation that would reform the Gambling Impact Study Act. The GIS Act passed in the House and is now in the Senate. The GIS Act would eliminate a lot of the paperwork and red tape that states must put up with when it comes to releasing records pertaining to their non-profit and government conducted gambling online. One of the most controversial things about the GIS Act is that it removes the ability for any state to request a copy of the non-public information because they believe that the federal law protects the privacy of the individuals involved.
Many feel that the GIS Act will prevent New Jersey from releasing the records to ensure that online gambling takes place in New Jersey. However, the state already has the ability to access the information about non-residents who take part in online gambling. So if the GIS Act were to pass and go into effect, then it may affect the right of New Jersey to allow sports betting from its residents. However, the state law protects the rights of individuals to engage in online gambling regardless of whether it is done through a site operated by an outside company or not.
New Jersey residents enjoy online gambling in a variety of games like craps, bingo, slots, blackjack and other online games. Therefore, online gambling in New Jersey is allowed as long as it follows the state law and meets the requirements of the Casino Control Act and the laws governing its regulation. There are also several loose regulations and rules that surround online gambling in the state. It is important that online gamblers follow the various rules and regulations related to online gambling in order to stay within the law. The Department of State is continuously looking to improve its operations to minimize problems in the New Jersey gaming industry.