New Jersey is still sheltering in place and will continue to do so for about another month. There is some good news, and the data shows social distancing is working.
Of course, we are not out of the woods yet. It looks like the casinos in Atlantic City and New Jersey sportsbook apps will remain closed for the time being.
Since the state went on lockdown, it looks like a lot of gamblers are returning to their roots: poker. Online poker in NJ has been quite busy and it is good to see so much activity on the virtual felt.
In fact, get ready for quite the busy weekend on three NJ poker apps. While poker is returning to its heyday, online sports betting is trying to keep hold of its customers.
Here are the latest New Jersey online gambling news headlines.
Online poker in NJ takes over the weekend
This weekend proves to be one of the busiest ones that online poker in New Jersey as seen in a long time.
On Saturday and Sunday, there are three major tournaments with 28 events and guarantees of over $500,000. The tournaments are:
- WSOP Online Spring Championships (Six events, $197,222 in guarantees)
- Borgata Spring Poker Open on partypoker NJ (Eight events, $317,500 in guarantees)
- PokerStars NJSCOOP (14 events, $181,000 in guarantees)
The Borgata Spring Open ends on Sunday with its Main Event and High Roller events.
The $400 buy-in Main Event comes with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players in the High Roller will pony up $1,060 for a chance at their part of a $75,000 prize pool. The tournaments begin at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EST, respectively.
The WSOP Online Spring Championships continues through May 3. This weekend it is hosting a $100,000 NLH Sunday Special Edition. It will cost $320 to sit down, and it begins at 5 p.m. EST.
NJSCOOP on PokerStars NJ gets underway this weekend and continues through April 27. Its biggest tournament of the weekend is a $45,000 guarantee NLHE tournament on Sunday. It is $300 to buy-in, and the first cards will also be dealt at 5 p.m. EST.
DGE weighs in on election betting
The premature posting of presidential election odds in West Virginia earlier in the week raised the question of whether election betting in New Jersey would be possible.
New Jersey, after all, has been pretty liberal when it comes to approving new events, like the betting on the Oscars and Emmys.
Before you get your hopes up, though, the answer is no.
The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) wasted no time in making it clear that there will be no election betting “as a matter of public policy.”
On the board at NJ sportsbooks
Over the last few weeks, the DGE has approved several new betting options in hopes of filling the void left by the lack of major sporting events.
Some of the more interesting options include:
- Table tennis
- Lawn bowling
- eNASCAR
While new options are being approved, horses are still running and you can bet on them at 4NJBETS.com, powered by TVG.
There are five horse racetracks in the US operating without fans:
- Gulfstream Park in Florida
- Tampa Bay in Florida
- Oaklawn in Arkansas
- Remington Park in Oklahoma
- Los Alamitos in California
Also, let us not forget the 2020 NFL Draft and NFL futures. Now is the time to get creative.
Do you think for Eagles QB Nick Foles will earn the starting position with the Chicago Bears? There are odds for that.
When gambling, have a plan and stick to it
Not long before COVID-19 forced Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey sportsbooks to close, the American Gaming Association (AGA) addressed problem gambling with a new campaign.
Have A Game Plan focuses on four strategies for responsible gambling:
- Create a budget and stick to it.
- Keep gambling as a form of entertainment.
- Know the games you play.
- Only play on legal US online casinos and sportsbooks.
New Jersey problem gambling resources are available to help if you, or someone you know, have questions. If you’re unsure about what constitutes a gambling problem, 1-800-Gambler has a list of questions that can help assess your situation.
At a time when stay-at-home orders are the norm and too many closed businesses are leaving people out of work, it is important to have a game plan when it comes to online casino gambling.
