The Bovada Poker Room of the Bodog Poker Network and the Americas Cardroom and True Poker of the Winning Poker Network are no longer accepting wagers—or at least new accounts—from New Jersey players after facing a legal threat from New Jersey gaming regulators.
In April, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office sent cease-and-deist letters to six online poker affiliate websites ordering them to stop advertising promotional links to their unlicensed sites that were running online next to promotional links to approved sites operating in New Jersey.
The letters were sent to PokerSource.com, RaketheRake.com, CardsChat.com, Pokersites.com and RakeBrain.com and warned that the acts were in violation of New Jersey law and subject to action by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Under the state’s gambling control act, “Any person who offers games into play or displays such games through Internet gaming without approval of the division to do so, is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree that is subject to a fine of not more than $25,000; or $100,000, in case the violator is an entity other than a natural person.” The act also defines penalties for anyone who aids illegal gambling activity, including soliciting gambling through advertising
The letter stated that Bovada, Merge Gaming, and WPN skins America’s Cardroom and Black Chip Poker, are not approved to offer online gambling in the state.
New Jersey is one of three states—Nevada and Delaware are the others—to approve online gambling within its physical borders.
According to the DGE, the publication of links promoting unlicensed online poker sites, “taint legitimate sites by associating them with the illegal ones, and conversely may lend the appearance that these illegal sites are affiliated with the authorized sites.”
In the wake of the letters, several offshore licensed online gambling sites have withdrawn their real money gaming services to U.S. based players.
The Bovada announcement stated that New Jersey residents who have existing accounts with Bovada.lv will still be able to play at the sites, but no new accounts will be accepted. Americas Cardroom and True Poker said their respective poker networks will no longer serve players from the U.S. regulated states of Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada.
