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PokerStars New Jersey Launch on October 1st?

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  1. #1

    Default PokerStars New Jersey Launch on October 1st?

    There was quite a bit of buzz on Twitter last week about precisely when PokerStars will re-enter the US market via New Jersey.

    Speculation as to when the launch will take place began after a Tweet from New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak.

    https://twitter.com/SenatorLesniak/s...02976376356864

    When he was asked by Chris Grove of OnlinePokerReport if he could elaborate on a specific date, Lesniak posted that PokerStars will launch in New Jersey in "weeks, not months."

    https://twitter.com/SenatorLesniak/s...63114160324609

    Some in the industry believe that October 1st will be the launch date.

    https://twitter.com/WriterJen/status/510148873554104320
  2. #2
    Eric's Avatar
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    Ohgodyeah.

    We need PokerStars back in California too!
  3. #3
    Will they be in the regular player pool or will the US be segregating by state or country?
  4. #4
    Eric's Avatar
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    It won't be part of the regular pool.
  5. #5
    It will be a segregated player pool exclusive to PokerStars New Jersey players only for now, although there could be compacts as well as shared liquidity agreements with other regulated U.S. sites in the future.

    Many would think that current New Jersey online poker sites (partypoker/Borgata, WSOP/888, Ultimate Poker) would be against the PokerStars entry (there's certainly a lot of pressure being applied in shelved California legislation to exclude Stars), but there are some who believe Stars' launch in NJ will be a boon to all regulated sites there.

    See this Las Vegas Review Journal article for 888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley's take on competing with PokerStars in the regulated New Jersey market.
  6. #6
    Does it matter what the name or the owner is of a small local field site?

    Without access to the global pokerstars player pool does this really make any difference to the people of New Jersey?

    Looks like it will be the start of combining several state based sites to cover most of the US eventually, but it is unlikely to ever be allowed global access again. I think people are getting excited about a return to utopia that is a forlorn dream.
  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by chemist View Post
    I think people are getting excited about a return to utopia that is a forlorn dream.
    Your opinion is shared by a large percentage of players, especially in non-regulated U.S. states where frustration has been boiling ever since Black Friday.

    From an industry standpoint, there is a lot of what I would call "hope" that Stars' launch in the Garden State will spark a turnaround in the regulated American market. It's no secret that online poker revenues for licensed U.S. poker (see this interview article with 888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley) have been far lower than originally estimated. Many would argue this is a direct result of a lack of liquidity sharing (combined player pools).

    California is being looked at closely, and the next opportunity for online poker legislation to pass in that state is late this year. However, there is a coalition among tribal interests and card rooms in that state to exclude PokerStars from that potential market by using "Bad Actor" language, which would basically exclude PokerStars from entering.

    In a nutshell, "Bad Actor" clauses are aimed at penalizing sites that operated in the U.S. following December 31, 2006. This date is viewed as "arbitrary" by some online gaming experts, since UIGEA officially became law more than a month before that cutoff date. New Jersey does not have any of the Bad Actor clauses in its online poker legislation.

    Either way, it's going to be very interesting to see how PokerStars performs in New Jersey once it launches, and whether its entrance there does indeed result in a long-term boost of online poker activity there. Although the original PokerStars marketing & management teams reportedly remain intact, Rational Group platforms PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were recently acquired by Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion.

    Anyone who would like to take a look at the latest online gaming revenue figures for New Jersey can do so by viewing this statement released monthly by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Online Poker figures are represented in the "Peer-to-Peer Games" category while "Other Authorized Games" reflect casino-style online gaming.
  8. #8
    Eric's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chemist View Post
    Looks like it will be the start of combining several state based sites to cover most of the US eventually, but it is unlikely to ever be allowed global access again. I think people are getting excited about a return to utopia that is a forlorn dream.
    I hear what you're saying. Utopia is a long, long ways away. It will be a long time before there is enough action/liquidity for me to hop on a bunch of different tables at once at the stakes I like. Still, some progress is better than no progress.
  9. #9
    Speculated October 1st launch date has come & gone, but it shouldn't be long now.

    I'm really curious as to how much of an impact Stars NJ will have in the short-term.
  10. #10
    Pokerstars, just in NJ. A joke. That is like a drop in the bucket for liquidity that is needed to jumpstart the nosedive Black Friday did for the poker market. October 1st already gone. Maybe next October.
    It takes 2 years to learn to talk, but a lifetime to learn when to shut up.
  11. #11
    An update on this...

    Michael Gentile reports that sources have informed pokerfuse that PokerStars' New Jersey launch will not happen until next year. The article cites sources close to the application approval process and also quotes State Senator Ray Lesniak's Twitter feed.

    http://pokerfuse.com/news/law-and-re...ey-until-2015/
  12. #12
    Rats, have to wait another year to play in the FlopTurnRiver Pokerstars tourneys
    It takes 2 years to learn to talk, but a lifetime to learn when to shut up.
  13. #13
    I wanted to update this thread with new information.

    According to Chris Grove at OnlinePokerReport, Amaya CEO David Baazov says the new timeline for a PokerStars entry into the New Jersey regulated market is the 3rd Quarter of 2015. That would be nearly a full year after the rumors started circulating that Stars' entry into New Jersey was "imminent" and coming "within weeks."

    To read the April 2015 update regarding PokerStars' potential New Jersey launch, go to the following OnlinePokerReport link...

    http://www.onlinepokerreport.com/134...ersey-answers/
  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by eberetta1 View Post
    Rats, have to wait another year to play in the FlopTurnRiver Pokerstars tourneys
    We'd have to see if it would be possible to get exclusive tournaments on PokerStars for our members residing in New Jersey. They would be separate from the dot-com site currently available to non-U.S. players, and would have their own player base (meaning New Jersey players would not be able to compete in the same player pool as the Int'l players... it would be completely separate). New Jersey has geo-location measures in place for regulated online poker sites to ensure that only those physically located in the state can play on NJ sites.

    While this could be big news for New Jersey players, it's still a far cry from anything definitive in the overall U.S. online poker market -- which remains pretty much in limbo. Even with Stars' entry into NJ, it's no guarantee that the market in that state will expand substantially beyond its launch hype. The segregated player pools make finding games difficult, fish-pools on WSOP.com NJ, Borgata/PartyPoker NJ have dwindled quickly and many "MTTs" on those sites have fewer than 30 entrants.
  15. #15
    Eric's Avatar
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    I'm keeping my fingers crossed - Chris Grove is a knowledgable source.
  16. #16
    such a single state play is a joke and will always be

    always only a handful of citizens

    even when Stars comes back

    but lets hope the best
  17. #17
    Eric's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel72 View Post
    such a single state play is a joke and will always be

    always only a handful of citizens

    even when Stars comes back

    but lets hope the best
    I agree states need to pool players. NV and DE are already doing it but NJ needs to join them. California needs to get involved too - that would be a game-changer.
  18. #18
    The significant coalition against PokerStars' re-entry into the California market may mean that Stars ultimately gets shut-out of CA, which may or may not mean that much. Such a large potential player pool, brick & mortars already in place means lots of cross-promotion opportunities... CA legalization could definitely be a turning point.

    New Jersey numbers continue to be troubling. There's such a seasonal downtrend in states that enjoy only a few months of sunshine per year. Sites like Americas Cardroom that continue to operate without a license throughout most of the US is doing better, but it's still a very difficult situation for anyone living in the States who wants to play online poker.
  19. #19
    OffShore sites are offering million in prizepool for second time but regulated sites are having overlay in 50k sometimes. Even if pokerstars enters in regulated States situation is not gonna change much. Only solution is Shared player pool in all regulated states.
  20. #20
    You could argue that amaya made a huge mistake selling off /running down ongame. If they had entered california with ongame , it would still have been the same owner and some of the stars rep would have transferred and would have been hard for the antis to argu against ongame. Amaya would counter argue that they are respecting the bad actor clause in respect of tilt and stars and entering the makket with a "clean" company that did respect the restrictions pre black friday.
  21. #21
    No Ongame could not attract players as pokerstars & Full tilt can, although owner is same company. Best possible result will be available only with Pokerstars.

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