New Jersey Reveals Initial List of Preliminary Igaming Licenses

After months of speculation New Jersey regulators finally released a list of all of the companies that have met preliminary approval for an iGaming license in the state on November 1, 2013.

The lists, which can be found on the NJ.gov website, cover two of the three online gaming licensing categories:

* Ancillary Casino Service Industry Enterprise Licenses (ACSIE)

* Vendor Registrants

The third category (not listed on the NJ.gov website) is the most coveted, a Casino Service Industry Enterprise License (or CSIE), which allows the license holder to operate, or provide the means to operate, an online gaming site in New Jersey.

What is an Ancillary Casino Service Industry Enterprise License?

New Jersey regulations list marketing affiliates, junket enterprises, junket representatives, payment processors, and age, identity and geo-location verification as the companies required to hold ACSIE licenses.

Who has received preliminary approval for an ACSIE license?

According to the list, 12 companies have received preliminary approval for an ACSIE license, and they include a number of known player verification and geo-location companies like GeoComply, XYVerify, Locaid, and Player Verify.

There also appears to be a several affiliate companies listed, including PokerTrip Enterprises.

PokerTrip Enterprises (AllVegasPoker.com and PokerAtlas.com) is owned by Jon Friedberg, a WSOP bracelet winner and long-time industry man, who is also licensed in Nevada as a marketing affiliate. PokerTrip was the first marketing affiliate to receive approval in the Nevada market.

Read our full PokerTrip profile.

Here is a look at the complete list of the companies granted preliminary approval for an ACSIE license:

What is an Internet Vendor Gaming Registrant?

The second list of preliminary license holders revealed by New Jersey this week was for Vendor Registrants, which at first glance seemed like it would be the most inconsequential of the three licenses:

Enterprises providing other services including, but not limited to, telecommunications that are not specifically designed for Internet gaming and patron interaction

Who has received preliminary approval as an iGaming vendor in NJ?

A quick look at some of the names listed as vendors quickly dispels the notion that vendors will be invisible or fairly inconsequential in the New Jersey online gaming market.

The most important take away from the list of vendor registrants is the prevalence of payment processors, hinting that online poker players in New Jersey will have many of the same deposit and withdrawal options that players in other parts of the globe are able to use.

Three of the most noticeable names on the list are NBX Merchant Services/OptimalPayments (AKA Neteller), Skrill (formerly MoneyBookers) and PaysafeCard.com. All three are among the most popular deposit and withdrawal options for European online poker players, not to mention being well-respected entities in the poker world.

Their inclusion is a strong signal that New Jersey online poker players can expect fast withdrawals from New Jersey online poker rooms.

Here is a look at the complete list of companies that have received preliminary approval to operate as Vendors in New Jersey’s iGaming market: