Poll results: Pokerstars to fail in its New Jersey bid, say readers
Majority of respondents to this week's eGR poll believe regulator will reject the poker giant's licence application
Almost two-thirds of eGaming Review readers believe Pokerstars will fail in its attempt to gain an online gambling licence in New Jersey after the poker giant was overlooked by the regulator during last week’s licensing round.
Transactional waivers were awarded to the likes of Bwin.party, 888, Bally Technologies, Betfair and Ongame last Friday, while Paddy Power and Betable were included in a list of approved operators without current land-based partners.
The omission of the Rational Group-owned operator raised questions about whether Pokerstars will be licensed in the state and 63% of respondents to eGR‘s poll believed it will fail in its application.
The news of last week’s snub raised fresh doubts over whether the company will be seen as suitable for a licence in the state, where it has formed a commercial partnership with Atlantic City casino Resorts in order to launch a gaming site.
PokerStars hasn’t given up hope getting the green light and said its application was still under review. “Our application remains under review by NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement and we remain committed to working with them to complete the process,” a Rational Group statement said.
However, only 37% of readers shared the operator’s optimism with 11% stating Pokerstars will receive its licence before the end of the month while 26% said it will be successful but will be made to wait.
The operator’s ability to secure a licence has been questioned by some given its activity in the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was introduced in 2006, a period which saw it grow to become the world’s largest poker site.
PokerStars settled its civil complaint with the US Department of Justice as part of the $731m deal to acquire Full Tilt Poker and CEO Mark Scheinberg recently agreed to forfeit $50m to the US Department of Justice in a “full and final” settlement of the company’s post-UIGEA operations.
With another set of licences due to be handed out later today, Pokerstars will be hoping it has done enough to convince the regulator of it New Jersey credentials.