Senator Lesniak Blames Christie For PokerStars NJ Delay

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Tuesday, November 4th, 2014 | Written by Shane Larson

Back in September, Senator Ray Lesniak tweeted that PokerStars’ grand entrance into the New Jersey online gambling market was “only a few weeks away”, but seven weeks later and there is still no sign the poker room’s long-awaited launch is anywhere near to becoming a reality. As a result, Lesniak recently received a barrage of Tweets from disgruntled internet poker players frustrated by the delay, and responding to their questions, the Senator seems to be placing much of the blame squarely on the shoulders of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. As Lesniak explains in one of his tweets:

“we are waiting for Christie and hopefully it will not be like waiting for Godot.”

Lesniak’s reference has consequently created concern amongst poker fans that PokerStars may not eventually make its much anticipated return to New Jersey anytime soon, as Samuel Beckett’s book ‘Waiting for Godot’ is a play about two characters who wait endlessly for the arrival of someone named Godot, who in the end never actually turns up.

PokerStars Return Needs Christie´s Approval

According to Senator Lesniak’s tweets, the final decision as to whether PokerStars will be allowed to return to New Jersey rests solely with Governor Chris Christie, and not the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). Added to this backdrop is the fact politics is now threatening to scupper the potential PokerStars deal as Chris Christie is currently pursuing the Republican nomination for the US presidency in 2016, and apparently recently approached anti-online gaming billionaire Sheldon Adelson for funds to continue his campaign.

Consequently, should Governor Chris Christie eventually be picked to lead the Republican fight against Hillary Clinton for the presidential election in 2016, it is likely to be a very long time before PokerStars launches in the Garden State. Furthermore, if Christie is actually elected, he will owe Adelson a debt of gratitude, and PokerStars may never be allowed to return to New Jersey at all.

Saturation Of Market Also To Blame

In addition to the blame State Senator Lesniak has apportioned to Gov Christie, there may also be a less dramatic reason for PokerStars’ delay to New Jersey’s online gaming market. The Garden State’s online gambling revenues have so far generated just one-tenth of the predictions made by pro-iGaming proponents ahead of legislation, and by the end of 2014 are expected to total around $120 million.

The disappointing revenue results are similarly reflected in the low traffic figures reported by PokerScout for the state’s two biggest operators, with PartyBorgata showing a seven day average of just 130 cash game players, and WSOP.com 110 players. Therefore, New Jersey’s saturated market is in desperate need of expanded regulation, as well as the need to enact interstate player compacts and allow other states to enter the game. Under the present circumstances, it is conceivable PokerStars may be waiting for NJ’s potential market to broaden and attract “new blood” before shelling out large amounts of money simply to just steal away the few players currently gambling on PartyBorgata and WSOP .

With a lack of movement so far in state-by-state regulation, or more expansive legislation, it may well be some time before the circumstances are deemed ripe for PokerStars to take the plunge into NJ iGaming.

Credit Card Companies Not Helpful

New Jersey State Senator Lesniak has also said credit card companies, such as VISA and MasterCard, were to blame for the poor performance of New Jersey’s online gambling industry, and talking recently at the Mobile & Tablet Gaming Summit in Atlantic City, Lesniak commented that no one should “expect stellar results until the credit card companies come on board.”

Up until now, numerous credit card companies have shied away from processing payments for online gambling websites for fear of falling foul of the UIGEA of 2006. Currently the decline rate at Visa for iGaming transactions is 45%, and 30% for MasterCard, causing a great deal of headache for online gambling operators who have seen their potential customers frustrated as they attempt to deposit their money online. In many cases, these same potential players often then give up trying to play on those sites altogether.