Atlantic City Gamers Could Soon Enjoy Mobile Casino Gambling

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Posted: February 11, 2012

Updated: October 4, 2017

Atlantic City may soon allow gamers at its casinos the right to play casino games whilst staying in their hotel rooms, or by the pool.

Lawmakers are currently browsing over, and deliberating on two bills, the first that would allow gamers in the casino resort of Atlantic City, New Jersey, the right to play online casino in United States including blackjack and roulette games from their hotel rooms or poolside for instance, with hand held devices.

According to the latest United States gambling news reports, the devices would enable gamers to leave the cluttered floors of the casino halls, and venture off into the complex and gamble when they see fit.

The second bill would grant tax deductions to any non-gaming related businesses that want to set up shop inside the gaming resorts, with the giant tax breaks being the primarily incentive.

Senator Jim Whelan, who is a supporter of both bills believes that the youth of today are so tech savvy, that providing mobile hand held gaming devices is logically the next step in securing fresh gamers for the casinos in the future. The Senator had the following to say on the topic: “They play mechanical games, and so on, and they text and they Facebook on their iPads and their smart phones and so forth, and so I consider it creates clarity to commend what was not even a suspicion 30 years ago and is now a reality.”

The Senator does not feel as though he is corrupting youth, and although some have voiced their concerns over the hand held devices themselves, Whelan has reassured them they will not fall into the wrong hands, nor be taken out of state. Internet betting is very much still illegal, so Whelan insists that should you step outside of a designated range of the casino, then the machine will cease to function. This would ensure that nobody could gamble, away from the security and safety of the casino. “You step off a premises and this thing goes kaput.” He added.

The idea was first put forward in 2006, following Las Vegas' successful trial with the hand held mobile casinos in United States. It was flatly declined, but is now back on the table once more, as Atlantic City tries to find a way to maintain its top North Eastern casino resort tag, from other close competitors.

The technology is believed to involve wireless play, so the devices are no good to anyone planning on using them outside of the casinos, as American gambling laws currently prohibit betting in any form across state lines.

Bob Griffin, President of The Casino Association of New Jersey, which is a lobbying arm of Atlantic City's casinos, is in support of the move for mobile casino gambling and stated, “This creation would yield an additional amenity to assist Atlantic City serve itself as the East Coast’s premier gaming destination.”

In conjunction with the second bill on setting up non-gaming related businesses, the move could see up to $200 million in state tax credits going to non-gaming growth in Atlantic City. In order to qualify for the tax break, businesses would need $20 million capital, and employ at least 100 people, with the tax breaks being rescinded if the level of employed people fell below that, and not reinstated until that level has been reached again.
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