Poll: Who will make the biggest impact in New Jersey?
With some big deals now confirmed, which will lead the way in the nascent New Jersey market?
Since the deadline for online gambling partnerships in New Jersey passed at the end of June we have seen a flurry of deals announced in the state. All 12 casinos have submitted applications and although three are still to be confirmed, we can now begin to see how this important new egaming market is beginning to take shape.
Firstly we have the long-established partnership between Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) and UK-listed 888 Holdings. The duo already operate the UK-focused WSOP.com real-money poker site and are working on a site for Nevada due to launch by Q3. It’s not yet clear exactly how CIE will attack the New Jersey market, with a platform development deal with Barriere also underway “ but it will be a major force to be reckoned with.
One new partnership looking to give it a run for its money is Trump Taj Mahal and Ultimate Gaming. The Fertita Interactive-owned Ultimate Gaming was the first site to go live in Nevada and will be sure to make every effort to be first on the starting line come the November launch of the New Jersey online gaming sector. It’s market-ready offering and marketing clout via the Ultimate Fighting Championship link-up could give it a head start.
And perhaps even more worrying for the WSOP.com owners, is the new deal between PokerStars and Resorts Casino. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval, but could seriously shake-up the market and will no doubt be backed by a serious marketing spend from PokerStars if and when the time comes.
Another new partnership is the yet to be officially announced deal between Betfair and Trump Plaza. The pairing will perhaps surprise some, but you would be wrong to underestimate Betfair’s ambitions in the US. Although as the terms are yet to be officially confirmed, including which casino and poker software will be involved, it’s probably too early to consider them in this week’s poll.
So that leaves us with one more partnership to consider in the shape of bwin.party and Boyd Gaming. Norbert Teufelberger, CEO of bwin.party, said some time back he expected the market to be a straight fight between them and CIE in the absence of PokerStars. But how successful will the Boyd and bwin.party partnership be in the face of stiff competition? Cast your vote on the right and let us know.