The New Jersey Division of Gambling Enforcement has eased some of the requirements for flex zones near the state’s borders to determine if an online gambler is actually in the state.
The moves has already helped ease some of the geolocation problems that have been plaguing the rollout of online gambling in the state.
“By allowing us a little bit more flexibility and easing the tolerance in that distance, it made it significantly better in the second and third month,” Brian Mattingley, chief executive of 888 Holdings, which is partnered in New Jersey with Caesars Interactive in Atlantic City to offer online gambling sites told the website Philly.com.
Recently released figure by the DGE show that online gambling revenue rose 9 percent in February to $10.3 million in the state.
The changes were made to the buffer between the state line and a gambler’s location, which is determined using cellphone signals.
To gamble online in New Jersey, players must be physically located in the state. The DGE requires a buffer near the border to ensure that players just across the state line can’t play at the sites.
“We have worked with the geolocation vendors and casinos to enhance the technology to make it more accurate and reliable, and to reduce false negatives,” said Kerry Langan, spokeswoman for DGE told Philly.com.
