The history of gambling in New Jersey is fascinating when you think about some of the ground breaking events that took place there. Somehow along the way, New Jersey has seen the dust finally settle over once was a huge booming business for Atlantic City and even gave Las Vegas a run for the money at one point. Learn about what has turned New Jersey into a new wave of entertainment and how the online gaming industry in New Jersey is making a comeback. And while the image of Donald Trump is more part of the public eye, his past affiliation with the New Jersey gambling business has proved that people accept the concept of gambling and casinos. Without much of his contribution to Atlantic City, the building of jobs, construction, and commerce would not be a major focus in his presidential campaign as we know it.
The gambling history of New Jersey
As old as the State of New Jersey itself, gambling has a long history to tell. They were among the very first in the US to have a horse racetrack, and were also the first to make online gaming legal! Though not in that order, since that would be a very short story! Back in colonial times, the practice of lottery style games was very popular. These lotteries were used to help fund some of the most important historical elements in American history including the Revolutionary war and the French and Indian war! The first racetrack was established in 1830, yet some might argue that Delaware already established their racetrack in 1760. Despite the horse racing elements, New Jersey laws were never too strict on the guidelines of gambling and wagers placed for games of chance. It hadn’t become legal to gamble until 1939, and thus sealed the rights for those who lived in or visited New Jersey to gamble freely. By 1969, the introduction of the State-wide Lottery was put into vote, and by the next year the New Jersey State Lottery was born.
The birth of death of Atlantic City
As if created from a legend of sorts, Atlantic City is one place in New Jersey that most on the East coast of the US all know about before they ever visit. A similar case and point about Las Vegas since they both have become household names in every American and Immigrant in the world. Starting with a bright beginning, Atlantic City emerged as a gambling destination that was followed by some shady gaming and criminal intent during the years between 1910 through the 1940’s. By the end of WWII, this sleep vacation town was starting to fade in popularity. Not until the 1970’s did Atlantic City begin to see something wonderful emerge which led to the biggest boom New Jersey had ever seen. After a State-wide vote passed in 1975, this allowed Atlantic City to acquire the legal bill to build casinos there. Right from the start the 1980’s, the rise of a new kind of Atlantic City had the stolen the spotlight from legendary Las Vegas! Those who know Donald Trump well enough, know that his casinos were big hits with an emerging Yuppie crowd of the mid 80’s. Toward the end of the 1990’s, much of the excitement began to dwindle. Perhaps the national economy was to blame, or perhaps Atlantic City could not keep up with the pace that fueled Las Vegas development. No new casino attractions were built until 2003, and further losses continued through 2012. Of the 15 major casinos that were built, only 8 of them remain open currently with many more due to close.
Online casino gaming in New Jersey
If there is one thing that New Jersey has done for gambling, it has to be among the firsts for the US! After the sad decline of Atlantic City, New Jersey was the first US State to legalize online gambling, and did this in 2013. Anyone within New Jersey could gamble online as they wished whether or not they were a resident or not. There are a total of 5 online casinos operators that host 19 authorized online sites within New Jersey. Among the list include the Tropicana Casino, Golden Nugget Atlantic City, Resort Casino Hotel, Caesars Interactive Entertainment, and the Borgata Hotel Casino. Now each casino hosts many websites that are certified and regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, but that doesn’t mean online casinos outside the borders of New Jersey haven’t already established partnerships. In the world of the internet today, many US citizens already enjoy online gaming without a problem. There has never been punishment for those who seek to play at an online casino, yet there have been cases where online casinos are punished by breaking State or Federal laws. This is the so-called ‘Grey Area’ of online gaming which continues to frustrate many Americans who wish to enjoy online gaming as they like. Since New Jersey has shown such resolve to make their online gambling business a success, perhaps other States will follow suit in the same manner.