The New Jersey General Assembly has urged President Trump to approve the iGaming industry’s federal legalisation. Up to date, each State has the right to make decisions in terms of the industry’s legislation and regulatory framework under the provisions of the 2011 regulation of the Department of Justice.
In addition, currently, online gambling operations have been regulated only three states of the country, including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. A number of other US states, including Pennsylvania, Hawaii and New York have been initiating debates on the matter and have been taken into consideration the legalisation and regulation of the iGaming sector, including online sports betting.
There have been various opposition’s statements on the matter, but the US President Trump has still not revealed his official position on the matter.
Now, the Assembly Joint Resolution No.137 sponsored by Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo directly calls on the new president’s administration to approve the federal online gambling legalisation. The resolution comes after the Attorneys General from a total of ten states made a petition to the newly-forming president administration at the beginning of December 2016, asking for the original interpretation of the Wire Act to be returned.
However, many have expressed their concerns that the administration of the new president of the US would not have a positive predisposition to the idea. Although President Trump has not taken an official position on the Internet gambling matters, he has said in an interview that he had many friends on both sides of the issue. Still, one of Trump’s financial supporters is Sheldon Andelson, Chairman of Las Vegas Sands, who has been backing a national ban on online gambling for years now, so it is not clear whether Trump will say yes to federal online gambling legislation, or not.
Gambling in New Jersey
Gambling has a long history in the state of New Jersey, which has been known as one of the more liberal and permissive in terms of gambling.
Currently, gambling activities in the state of New Jersey include casino gambling permitted in Atlantic City, horse racing and off-track betting, the New Jersey Lottery, social gambling and amusement games, as well as charity gambling. The gambling legislation in the state is still less restrictive than the ones in other parts of the US. The state, however, is still challenging the federal statutory monopoly of Nevada on legal sports betting.
Online gambling is also permitted on the territory of New Jersey. The in-state iGaming activities were officially instituted in the state of New Jersey. A Bill focused on the legalisation of online gambling in the state was first passed in January 2011 and evaded eventual federal prohibitions against the activities, as the bill sponsor authorised the Casino Control Commission to create special regulations in order to make sure that all bets were placed within the state.
The United States Justice Department backed the bill at the end of 2011, issuing a legal opinion that it was only online sports betting that was officially prohibited by the Federal Wire Act. Finally, a revised bill which legalised online gambling activities was approved by the New Jersey Legislature on February 26th, 2013.
- Author
Daniel Williams
