Many New Jersey online poker players expected to be able to play on PokerStars by now, but the company—now owned by Amaya Gaming—has not yet been licensed in the state.
That’s led to charges that Governor Chris Christie may be playing politics and slowing down the process—though others concede that regulators and PokerStars may just be moving slowly to make sure the launch is in compliance with state regulations.
New Jersey state Senator Raymond Lesniak— one of the state’s most vocal advocates of expanding gambling options in New Jersey—is betting that Christie is the problem.
Christie is seen as a likely candidate for president in 2016. To that end, the Republican governor would need the support of billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who bitterly opposes online gambling. Adelson is a major contributor to republican candidates and is also financing a drive for a national ban on online gambling.
Critics charge that Christie is purposely having the state drag its feet to skirt the online issue and appease Adelson. Lesniak has called for the governor to expedite PokerStars licenses.
However, Christie, PokerStars and the state Division of Gaming Enforcement haven’t responded and it’s possible the licensing procedure is just moving along slowly.
When online gaming launched in the state a year ago, there were numerous technical problems—some of which are still causing problems—and its possible PokerStars is just being thorough with its software. And it’s worth noting that Christie approved online gambling in the state in the first place in 2013 and has no legal way to slow down a licensing approval.
The DGE initially blocked PokerStars in the state due to its past problems with the federal Department of Justice. Licensing under Amaya—which purchased the site and its parent the Rational Group this year—was expected to go smoothly, especially since Amaya is already licensed in the state.
The site was expected to launch last month, but so far, there has been no word on whether the state will grant the site a license one way or the other.
Meanwhile, a new PokerStars.co.uk platform has been introduced in the UK under the company’s new UK Gambling Commission license.
