The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, has urged President Donald Trump not to ban online gambling in the country. What adds some clout to this request is that Christie and Trump are close political allies. On Friday, Christie signed a bill that calls on Congress not to ban online gambling on a nationwide level.
Up until now, Trump has not taken an official stand on internet gambling, even when asked directly about his views during the election campaign for presidency. He told Associated Press in an interview that he had “a lot of friends on both sides of this issue”.
However, there is no doubt that Trump is surrounded by people who would love to see a federal ban on internet gambling. One of the president’s strongest financial supporters, the Las Vegas Sands casino magnate, Sheldon Adelson, has been a vocal supporter of a federal ban for many years, and is assumed to be the man behind the Restoration of America’s Wire Act bill that continues to threaten online gambling.
In addition, new Attorney General Jeff Sessions – who did not support the Department of Justice’s 2011 change of opinion relating to the 1961 Wire Act when he was a senator – has said that he will be taking a good look at the ruling and reconsider it and its implications.
Since online gambling was introduced in New Jersey, it has played a positive role in the revival of gaming numbers in the Garden State’s casino industry. For the first time in decades, Atlantic City posted its first revenue increase recently.
In June 2017, internet gambling pushed casino revenue into the black. The online gambling arms of Atlantic City’s seven casinos took in revenue of nearly $200 million, almost the same as the brick-and-mortar side of the businesses. All in all, online gambling revenue increased by 23% in June this year. The Golden Nugget Casino saw a revenue increase of 23% to $23.5 million, ahead of four other casinos. Caesars was the only casino in Atlantic City to see its revenues dip by 1.9% to $24.6 million in June.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court will hear the challenge from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who seeks to legalize some forms of sports betting in the state. The Trump administration previously asked the High Court to deny the case.
