With talk of “bad actor” exclusions seemingly a top trend among online gambling supporters and enemies this week, an influential New Jersey state senator entered the fray by observing that although the decision rested with the state regulator, foreign applicant Pokerstars should not be excluded from being approved to operate in the Garden State’s new intrastate online gambling market.
Sen. Ray Lesniak, a staunch proponent of legalised and regulated online gambling in his state, said that Pokerstars had paid substantial penalties in respect of its post-UIGEA activities in the United States, and should therefore not be excluded from entering the state’s nascent online gambling market.
“We believe in competition,” the senator said, addressing an online gambling conference last week.
Our readers will recall that Pokerstars has been knocking on the New Jersey regulated internet poker door for the past two years, and has been in two sets of Atlantic City casino partnership negotiations to support its application for licensing in the state.
New Jersey’s regulators require that online gambling operations be based in licensed Atlantic City land casinos.
So far the Isle of Man online poker giant has been held at bay by bodies and companies that clearly fear its competitive impact, and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has suspended a decision on its licence application for 2 years whilst the online poker company develops a corporate management structure more acceptable to the regulator.