Seal of approval for authorized online gambling sites introduced by NJ
Compliments of New Jersey gaming regulators, state-licensed online gambling sites will now wear an official seal of approval.
The seal pictured in the lower left hand corner of the BorgataCasino.com’s homepage indicating that the site is “Licensed and Regulated” by the state, is contained in the notice posted on Tuesday by New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) that from that point on all state-licensed online gambling sites would be similarly outfitted.
The official seal should prove to clear up any confusion state residents have regarding which gaming sites have the state’s blessing, which according to advocates for a regulated market who perceive that to be an issue, has contributed to the market’s less than stellar performance to date. The introduction of such a display has long been championed by regulated market advocates. The success of the seal’s ability to eliminate this perceived confusion by consumers is dependent on whether they will be able to differentiate between logos that use similar acronyms on unauthorized sites, and to know what the letters ‘DGE’ represent.
Earlier this year the Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies released a report showing that use of responsible gambling tools by gamers on state-licensed sites was infrequent due to positioning, which raises the question if the seal will even be noticed among the sites’ promos and other icons. The placement of a prominent RG/responsible gaming button on state-licensed sites has been called for by the Rutgers group.
American Gaming Association (AGA) President Geoff Freeman’s comment at the Las Vegas Global Gaming Expo (G2E) that derogatory attitudes toward gaming that many politicians hold were based on the popularity of “another industry that operates in the shadows,” according to a CalvinAyre report, comes on the same day as the DGE’s “official seal” move. In April state officials were called upon by the AGA to launch an attack on unauthorized online gambling operators.
It has been a busy week for the DGE. On the heels of the gaming regulators seal move, on Thursday the DGE gave Amaya Inc. its formal blessing to operate its PokerStars and Full Tilt brands in New Jersey’s regulated online gaming market, enabling the world’s largest poker business U.S. entry.