Home / Poker News December 2013 / PokerStars Officially Shut out of New Jersey
PokerStars Officially Shut out of New Jersey
Posted by: Jo Martin - Fri, 2013-12-13 11:03
PokerStars’ attempts to return to the US market via New Jersey have thus far been fraught with disaster every step of the way. A day ago however, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement finally put the last nail into the coffin of
PokerStars’ application, officially suspending its review for two years. What this means is that the world’s largest
online poker operator, will be hit with a serious handicap in comparison with its competitors (like
PartyPoker) which are already running promotions and drawing players to their virtual tables in the Garden State.
This time around, the DGE has also made it clear that its main reason for refusing to review PokerStars’ application was the presence of its founder, Isai Schonberg at the helm of the company. Schonberg is still under indictment for having violated the 2006 UIGEA and the Illegal Business Gambling Act and he has refused to show up in the US to face the charges brought by the DoJ.
The DGE statement also left room for PokerStars to “change their situation”, in which case the DGE would re-assess its current decision and the investigation of the company aimed at determining its suitability would be resumed.
PokerStars’ Head of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser chose to see the silver lining of the DGE’s statement. He said that while he found the decision disappointing, the DGE did give the company a chance to change its situation. Hollreiser said that his side would stay in close contact with the DGE, communicating every change in the situation of the world’s biggest online poker room and looking forward to having the license application reviewed.
PokerStars’ land-based partner in the Garden State is the Resorts Club Casino, with which the online operator has teamed up in July 2013. The site has pledged to invest some $10 million into the construction of a brand new poker room.
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