PokerStars’ New Jersey Launch In October?
While there was speculation that PokerStars would launch in New Jersey on October 1st having received their license we’re long past that date and nothing was official. However, while we have heard no official word, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker could go live any day now. State evaluations are being still being conducted, remember this is for NJ customers only.
So if you are ready for the PokerStars’ return to the virtual felt, we’ve provided a breakdown of the rules and regulations for playing online poker in the Garden State. We also touch on how their return might impact NJ’s online poker market.
New Jersey’s Regulated Market
You must be 21 or older to sign up at PokerStars NJ or any regulated online poker room in the state. You don’t need to be a New Jersey resident to play online poker. Anyone located the state is eligible to play using geolocation technology.
Players can create a PokerStars NJ account from anywhere in the country. They can also fund their account regardless of their location. Logging in and accessing your account balance can also be done from anywhere in the US. However, they will only be able to play for real-money inside the New Jersey’s borders.
Remember, you’re not signing up for PokerStars.com’s international player base. New Jersey poker sites currently only operate on the intrastate level. While they may adopt an interstate compact to share their player pools in the future – the tables at PokerStars NJ will be only populated by those within the state’s borders until legislation states otherwise.
How Will PokerStars Impact NJ?
I touched on this subject in an August piece regarding PokerStars’ rumored return. My opinion hasn’t changed. While PokerStars may end up becoming the market leader, New Jersey just doesn’t have enough liquidity for one operator to come in and change the landscape completely.
While Stars’ return will make national news and be an excellent story for online poker in the US, the long-term impact in the NJ market will likely be negligible.
Of course, for PokerStars and Amaya Gaming, this is their audition to show other states that currently have bad actors clauses, (or those proposing legislation with this language) what they are missing out on when if they don’t offer them a license.
