“This was a critical decision, and one that I did not make lightly,” Christie said in a statement on Feb. 26, the day he signed the bill . “But with the proper regulatory framework and safeguards that I insisted on including in the bill, I am confident that we are offering a responsible yet exciting option that will make Atlantic City more competitive while also bringing financial benefits to New Jersey as a whole.”
According to local media, the new law states that Internet gambling will be allowed in the city’s 12 casinos, and will eventually extend to other areas as additional partnerships with the state are formed. It is still uncertain, however, when gamblers will be able to partake in online gambling and how they will sign up.
Internet gambling has stirred controversy in other states, such as Florida and Massachusetts. Last year, Palm Beach County, Fla., commissioners approved a temporary ban on Internet cafes that some believed to be hosting casino-like gaming.
Some advocacy groups claimed the establishments circumvented current gambling laws in the state and condoned illegal gambling practices.
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