Online poker rooms were a part of the synchronized launch of NJ’s first legal online gambling sites. Today, the online poker market includes seven sites, interstate player pools, and apps so you can play anywhere in New Jersey. These days, you can find juicy cash games and big-time tournaments running all the time. Early expectations from legalized online poker in New Jersey were much higher than the actual results, which discouraged some players, like Ultimate Gaming Looking at year-over-year for April 2014 and April 2015, things got even worse for online poker, as three was a revenue drop from almost $2.6 to slightly under $2 million.
New Jersey’s online gambling history is a short and well-chronicled one. For decades, Atlantic City was the premier gambling destination on the East Coast. It essentially served as the Las Vegas of the east.
But as the rest of the country loosened their attitude toward regulated land-based gambling, the fortunes of Atlantic City began to suffer. There was the weight of increased competition from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, NewYork and Delaware.
The result was a long decline in local gambling revenue for New Jersey. This situation was exacerbated by the continued addition of casinos in Atlantic City. And it certainly wasn’t helped by the massive economic downturn of the mid-2000s.
Those conditions provided the recipe for online gambling to enter the conversation in New Jersey. With the hope that regulating online poker and online casino games might provide a competitive advantage for New Jersey’s casinos — while also providing a financial boost to the state — then-Gov. Chris Christie and other NJ lawmakers worked together to pass a bill that legalized NJ online gambling sites offered by licensed AC casinos in 2013.
That hope was born out in the years that followed. In fact, in 2016 NJ’s online casinos powered the state to the first year of casino revenue gains in a decade. Without revenue from online gambling sites, Atlantic City’s casinos would have continued a yearlong slide. Hence, bringing casinos online in New Jersey has proven a wise decision. And as a result, both casinos and tax collectors have benefited to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
Bottom line: Online gambling in Atlantic City has helped New Jersey’s casino industry recover from the most challenging period in New Jersey gambling history.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) oversees NJ online casinos. To offer legal online casino play in New Jersey, a casino must, among other things:
You can view the full text of the regulations governing online gambling in New Jersey here. All NJ online gambling sites are subject to these regulations and additional oversight by the NJDGE.
Why do you need a list of NJ online casinos? Simple. It’s because there are still plenty of online casinos out there pretending to be safe and legal. And if you’re not careful, it’s difficult to know the difference between the legal NJ online casinos and those that are based offshore.
With offshore online casinos, you don’t know what you’re getting — the games may not be fair, and your money may not be safe.
But with licensed NJ online casinos, you can enjoy the comfort of knowing that the sites are regulated by the same body — the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement. This means you know who is accountable if there’s a problem with your account.
Here is the list of legal NJ online gambling sites (casino and poker). These sites have been verified with the NJDGE as of December 2020.
NJ Online Casinos | Casino Games | Free Bonus | Bonus Code | Play | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Golden Nugget | 631 | $10 | PLAYBONUS | PLAY NOW |
2. | Virgin | 236 | $30 | 30BUCKS | PLAY NOW |
3. | Tropicana | 241 | $25 | PLAY25 | PLAY NOW |
4. | Caesars | 533 | $25 | PLAYFREE25 | PLAY NOW |
5. | Unibet Casino | 289 | 200 Spins | DRAGONSPINS | PLAY NOW |
6. | BetMGM Casino | 412 | $25 | PLAYNJFREE | PLAY NOW |
7. | Borgata Online | 250 | $20 | PLAYNJ | PLAY NOW |
8. | SugarHouse | 581 | NA | PLAYNJ | PLAY NOW |
9. | DraftKings Casino | 87 | $35 | None Needed | PLAY NOW |
As for the best online NJ casino, you can browse our reviews and details of opening bonuses here. But all licensed NJ casino online gambling sites are the same when it comes to safety, security, game fairness and account integrity.
And here is the list of legal NJ online sportsbook apps. These sites have been verified with the NJDGE as of December 2020.
NJ Sportsbook | Mobile App | Free Bet | Bonus Code | Play | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | DraftKings Sportsbook | Yes | $25 | None needed | PLAY NOW |
2. | William Hill | Yes | $500 | LEGAL500 | PLAY NOW |
3. | FanDuel Sportsbook | Yes | $1,000 | None needed | PLAY NOW |
4. | Fox Bet | Yes | $500 | None needed | PLAY NOW |
5. | BetMGM Sportsbook | Yes | NA | PLAYBONUS | PLAY NOW |
6. | PointsBet Sportsbook | Yes | $250 | BONUSNOW | PLAY NOW |
7. | SugarHouse Sportsbook | Yes | NA | PLAY250 | PLAY NOW |
8. | Unibet | Yes | $30 | None needed | PLAY NOW |
9. | Bet365 | Yes | NA | None needed | PLAY NOW |
More online sportsbooks are in the works, but the bottom line is that this is yet another avenue for online gambling revenue in NJ. You can read more about the NJ sports betting industry here.
NJ Online Poker Sites | Cash Game Traffic | Sit & Go Tourneys? | Free Play Offer | Play | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | WSOP Poker | High | A few | $10 | PLAY NOW |
2. | 888 Poker | High | Yes | $20 | PLAY NOW |
3. | PartyPoker | Low | Yes | $25 | PLAY NOW |
4. | PokerStars | Medium | Yes | $30 | PLAY NOW |
5. | Borgata Poker | Low | Yes | $20 | PLAY NOW |
6. | BetMGM Poker | Low | Yes | $25 | PLAY NOW |
NJ online casinos are still offering very generous sign-up and depositbonuses. And on top of that, players now have even more games to explore and online sportsbooks to bet on.
It’s a whole new world in NJ online gambling.
NJ sports betting took off and now boasts 17 active sportsbook apps, eight Atlantic City sports betting locations, and two North Jersey racetrack sportsbooks.
That’s 27 total sports betting options in the state.
And after five years, gambling sites show no signs of slowing down either. The entire online casino market now stands at 24.
The result of the continued expansion is high revenues. The COVID-19 pandemic that shut down Atlantic City casinos in March did give online casinos a boost as more gamblers flocked to the apps.
The industry boasted a record $85.9 million in total online revenue in April. Golden Nugget and its partners earned $29 million in May alone.
And Golden Nugget still leads the charge with 700+ online casino games. Live dealer games are now at more sites than ever including DraftKings, Hard Rock, 888 Casino, and PlaySugarHouse.
Related:
Our coverage touches on a variety of topics having to do with online and land-based gambling in NJ. There are a few key issues that form the basis of the majority of our coverage, listed below in no particular order.
Our coverage includes a detailed analysis of the regularly-released information regarding the financial performance of the online casinos and online poker sites operating legally in New Jersey.
We go beyond the NJ online gambling numbers to provide depth and context. We report not only the numbers for NJ online gambling site revenue but what those numbers mean for individual casinos and the broader regulated market for NJ casino online gambling.
Companies licensed to operate land-based casinos are the only entities that can hold licenses to operate online gambling sites in NJ.
While some Atlantic City casinos partner with other brands to offer NJ online gambling sites, there is always an Atlantic City casino holding the ultimate license to operate online betting in NJ.
As a result, what happens in one industry usually has a direct effect on the trajectory of the other. This means that keeping tabs on developments in Atlantic City is a critical part of staying up-to-date and informed about the online gambling industry in New Jersey.
Related:
The decision to regulate online gambling is far from the last political decision regarding gambling in the Garden State. The gambling industry in NJ is interconnected, as mentioned above. Any news that’s relevant to the land-based side matters to the online side as well, at least to some degree.
For example, the state of NJ was at one point locked in a pitched debate regarding the concept of expanding casino gambling outside of Atlantic City. That development, if it had come to pass, would’ve held significant implications for regulated online gambling. And, depending who won the new licenses to operate in other parts of NJ and how said licenses were handled, there could have been an expansion of the number of online gambling sites.
If the new competition from additional casinos harms an Atlantic City operator, support would have shifted. However, voters turned down any idea of a casino expansion in 2017, effectively making the subject moot.
That’s just a quick example to make the central point. The gambling industry in NJ is effectively one industry, even though it’s easy to imagine a delineation between land-based and online gambling.
The online gambling product in NJ is constantly evolving. New online poker sites open and online casinos add new game variants. Additionally, operators continue to roll out a steady stream of promotions and bonuses in an attempt to entice players to sign up or switch brands.
These are all touchstones for understanding the general health and trajectory of regulated online gambling in the Garden State. As a result, we devote a significant amount of our NJ regulated online gambling site coverage to stories focused on how the product — on both the online poker and online casino front — is evolving to meet the changing demands, tastes, and interest levels of NJ gamblers.
Finally, we devote a significant amount of our NJ online gambling coverage to the critical topics of safety and security.
One of the core advantages of a regulated online gambling environment is that players can take comfort in knowing that a regulator is watching NJ’s online poker and casino games to ensure that everything is on theup-and-up. Regulators are also available to help mediate consumer issues or other complaints. Additionally, systems are in place to prevent unauthorized access by underage or out of state players. These and other topics are an important piece of the larger puzzle of NJ’s online gambling industry.
Last updated: December 2020
On Feb. 26, 2013, a bill permitting internet gambling in the state was approved by the New Jersey Legislature. It was signed into law by then-Gov. Chris Christie later that day. It took almost nine months before legal and regulated online gambling actually launched in New Jersey.
Who can play at NJ’s legal online casinos?Anyone 21 and older and physically located inside the state of New Jersey can play on the state’s legal and regulated online gambling sites. The sites verify identification and use geolocation software to ensure both these stipulations are met.
How many legal online casino and poker sites are there in New Jersey?There are 23 different online casinos and seven different online poker sites licensed to operate in the state. That makes a total of 30 NJ online gambling sites. Two of the online poker sites operate on the same network, sharing player pools. Another online poker network shares player pools between three of the sites.
What is the connection between land-based casinos and online gambling sites?New Jersey law dictates Atlantic Citycasinos are the only entities that can be licensed to run online gambling sites. However, the casinos can partner with outside entities to host online casino operations for them. Several do. However, the same laws dictate the computer servers operating the online gambling websites must be located at licensed casinos in Atlantic City. That means that in effect, all of New Jersey’s online gambling websites are being run out of Atlantic City casinos. The law also dictates that a portion of revenues from the online gambling sites be reserved for capital improvements at the host Atlantic City casino.
What types of casino games can you play online in New Jersey?Just about every game you can play inside a brick-and-mortar casino in Atlantic City is also offered online in New Jersey. That means a huge variety of slots and video poker games are online. Plus, electronic versions of all the classic table games and a wide variety of other casino games are there as well, including:
BlackjackThe state’s first online gambling websites officially launched Nov. 26, 2013.
Who oversees and regulates NJ online gaming sites?New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement oversees and regulates NJ online gaming sites and NJ online sports betting sites. It handles things such as licensing for the sites, tax revenue collection, and game testing and approval.
Who is the leading NJ online casino in terms of revenue?Golden Nugget emerged as the New Jersey online gambling market revenue leader in 2017. In fact, Golden Nugget has continued to dominate the market into 2019, becoming the first site to post more than $14 million in revenue in a single month in August 2019.
How do I make a deposit at NJ’s legal gambling sites?Making a deposit at all of New Jersey’s online gambling sites is an easy, safe, and secure process. Most online gambling sites accept various methods of deposit, including:
Major credit cards including Visa and MasterCardAll of New Jersey’s legal and regulated gambling sites have a Division of Gaming Enforcement licensed and regulated insignia on the home page linking out to the division’s website at http://www.nj.gov/oag/ge/index.html. All of the state’s legal and regulated online gambling websites are listed on the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement website. They are also listed here in this FAQ. If it’s not on the lists and you can’t find the Division of Gaming Enforcement licensed and regulated insignia on the site, it isn’t legal in New Jersey.
Is sports betting legal in New Jersey?Sports betting is officially legal in New Jersey. On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, clearing the way for NJ (and other states) to begin offering legal sports wagering. The state first tried to legalize sports betting inside its borders in 2011. In December 2017, the US Supreme Court heard the state’s case against the law that bans sports betting operations almost everywhere outside of Nevada. A decision was rendered on May 14, 2018 that declared PASPA unconstitutional. This means that New Jersey is free to offer sports betting to residents and visitors.
How many legal online sportsbooks are in New Jersey?As of December 2020, there are 17 online sportsbooks. They are:
DraftKings SportsbookThere are currently seven Atlantic City casino operations that have been licensed by the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement to operate online gambling sites. They are:
Borgata Hotel CasinoThese seven Atlantic City casino operations actually host 28 different online poker and casino sites.
Borgata hosts:With the coronavirus causing public shutdowns around the world, poker tournaments are falling by the wayside day after day. For US-based poker players the answer has always been to travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, NJ, to get their live fix.
Unfortunately, Las Vegas has just begun its own shutdown for at least one month. With the card rooms of Atlantic City possibly looking at doing the same where can New Jersey residents play online in 2020.
If you’re after a quick gambling fix then any NJ online casino list will give you suggestions for a quick blast. For newbies anything you might want to know about which games offer the best odds you will find everything explained here.
After the devastation of online poker in the US on Black Friday - April 15th 2011 - it took two and a half years before New Jersey was able to get the show back on.
On November 21st 2013, it finally happened. Over the next few years more licenses were handed out with even PokerStars gaining enough support after they illegally serviced US players post UIGEA 2006.
Today, there are four networks covering the Garden State, with seven sites to choose from.
A solid choice, with the site pooling traffic with the Nevada player pool. Once known for decent player numbers, they took a 25% hit when Pokerstars entered the market.
The tie-up with 888 has enabled them to keep liquidity at acceptable levels, but this does not apply to cash games of 100NL and above.
Just like WSOP.com they took a hit when PokerStars came in, and with only 150 players or so playing cash games, pickings are sparse.
Even the once thriving sit & go pool was hit by the arrival of Spin & Go games on Pokerstars NJ.
partypoker was in the market as soon as legislation allowed. Currently there is no other major site doing as much to make online poker what it once was.
Traffic figures are not great, that much is undeniable, but game integrity can always be relied upon.
The great software is really what stands out, though. Bad software is always an enjoyment killer no matter how soft the games are.
Pala are the new guys on the block. Still growing but customers have been very quiet about what to expect. The traffic is low but maybe you can find a reason to stick around if you give them a try.
Using the same software as partypoker NJ you won’t be disappointed. They also share liquidity with their sister site but unfortunately figures are low outside of peak times.
Maybe 80 players during the busiest times and dropping to around 65 the rest of the day.
Another sister site joined with partypoker and Borgata. playMGM operates under Borgata NJ’s license and currently has the lowest traffic in the market.
Nobody ever thought that PokerStars would make a return to the US market. After their major part in the Black Friday scandal everyone was sure that they would be blacklisted permanently.
After the way they have treated their customers in recent years it’s no surprise that they have lost all support from major names in the industry. One by one they have refused to renew their contracts with only support from Twitch streamers remaining, pretty much.
Time will tell if players will eventually have enough of the reduction of bonuses and perks that motivate them to play.