New Jersey Online Betting Trial Posted 17,000 Players

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is reporting that more than 17,000 gamblers within the state's borders bet online during the Garden State's five day soft launch of internet gambling.

The bets in the soft launch took place between November 21st and 25th, and accounted for more than 3,000 new players each day.

It is being estimated by several financial firms that online betting revenues in New Jersey could be worth $200-$500 million for its first year. Those projections are significantly lower than the $1.2 billion number that Governor Chris Christie touted when he signed the betting bill into law.

New Jersey is using geolocation to ensure that players are located within the state's borders when gambling online. That software has taken some flak recently, with players in border towns being blocked out from select casinos. On the whole though, geolocation seems to be a big success, with location firm GeoComply noting that they have blocked out punters from other states, Canada, China, India, Ghana, and Portugal.

"It looks like people are keen to play. I think the launch of i-gaming in New Jersey has been a huge success," Anna Sainsbury of GeoComply said.