New Jersey (NJ) is the leading regulated online gambling market in the United States, hosting dozens of casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks. These gambling sites represent physical casinos in Atlantic City, like Golden Nugget and Caesars, as well as online casino brands like Virgin Casino and Betfair.
Legal online gambling in New Jersey
| Regulating authority: | New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement |
| Legal online gambling: | Yes |
| Legal online sports betting: | Yes |
| Online casino brands: | 19 |
| Legal gambling age: | 21 |
| Online gambling tax: | 15% |
| Who can play: | Anyone located inside NJ |
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA)- legislation slipped into the unrelated SAFE Port Act in 2006- sent shockwaves through the online gambling industry worldwide. The U.S. Department of Justice indicted top executives at several online poker sites, many gambling sites stopped accepting U.S. players, and some sites shuttered their virtual doors.
UIGEA prohibits financial transactions for “unlawful internet gambling,” but does not ban online gambling itself. This actually gave individual states the right to legalize and regulate internet betting. UIGEA forced a massive realignment in the market that ultimately led some individual states to legalize it.
New Jersey legalized online gambling in 2013 after years of negotiation. After vetoing legislation several times, then-governor Chris Christie ultimately signed a bill (A2578) authorizing online gambling licenses. The first online casinos and poker sites in New Jersey were launched relatively quickly, later that same year.
As a trailblazer in regulating internet betting on a statewide basis, New Jersey addressed the licensing process by requiring that online casinos must be partnered with a licensed land-based casino in Atlantic City. According to the Division of Gaming Enforcement, operated by the state of New Jersey, there are currently seven active online gaming licenses in New Jersey, with several different sites operating under the same license.
For example, Golden Nugget, Betfair, and SugarHouse online casinos all operate under the Golden Nugget AC license. The newer players in the scene, Hard Rock Casino and Ocean Resort Casino, scored their own licenses and are currently the only operators that aren’t partnered with other online casinos yet.
The internet gambling landscape continues to evolve as the New Jersey market matures. Several land-based casinos (including the Trump properties) and online poker sites have closed since online gambling was legalized, while other new casinos and sites have opened.
Despite concerns about the market opportunity and the impact on land-based casinos in Atlantic City, the online gambling business in New Jersey continues to grow steadily. Land-based casinos like Golden Nugget have seen their Atlantic City business grow as a result of the success of their real money online casino.
New Jersey online casinos
Online gambling at licensed and regulated casinos, poker sites, and sports betting sites in New Jersey is completely legal if you are in the state. You do not need to be a resident of NJ to play online there, and you can log in to your online player accounts, make deposits and withdrawals, and play for fun at the sites when you are outside of New Jersey. You just need to be physically located in the state to play real-money games.
Geolocation
Online gambling sites in New Jersey use geolocation technology to ensure you are located within the state boundaries, to comply with legal requirements. Admittedly, there were technical problems with the geolocation technology when it was first rolled out.
Before you can play at an online betting site in New Jersey for real money, you’ll need to install a geolocation plugin on your computer that verifies your physical location. After you install the plugin, it runs automatically and imperceptibly in the background, with no further action necessary on your part.
Playing at mobile casinos in New Jersey is even easier. No plugins are required because mobile sites use the Global Positioning System (GPS) location of your phone to verify your presence in New Jersey.
Online casino options
There is a wide range of online betting sites in New Jersey to suit different tastes and preferences. Each one offers a unique set of bonuses and promotions, along with game offerings from U.S. based developers like WMS (Williams Interactive) and Bally, European developers like NetEnt, and even Australian developers like Aristocrat.
The current list of online casino brands registered in New Jersey include: Borgata Casino, Borgata Poker, Party Casino, Party Poker, Pala Bingo, Pala Casino, Pala Poker, MGM Casino, MGM Poker, Scores Casino, Caesars Casino, Harrah’s Casino, WSOP, 888 Casino, 888 Poker, Golden Nugget, Betfair, SugarHouse Casino, Hard Rock Casino, Ocean Casino, Resorts Casino, DraftKings, Mohegan Sun, Poker Stars, Tropicana Casino, and Virgin Casino.
Payment methods at New Jersey online casinos
These sites accept a wide variety of online payment methods. As a unique perk for those with access to Atlantic City, it’s also possible to make cash deposits and withdrawals to/from your player account via the partnered land-based casino there.
This “cash at the cage” payment method is fast, free, and available at every land-based casino partnered with online casinos in New Jersey. Outside of Atlantic City, it’s also possible to make cash deposits at 7-Eleven store locations statewide. The funds will appear in your player account in a matter of minutes.
Other popular payment methods include:
- PayPal
- Credit cards
- eChecks
Top NJ online casinos – at a glance
Out of the diverse internet gambling options available in New Jersey, we’ll take a closer look at the top online casinos in the state.
Golden Nugget Casino New Jersey
| IGP license number: | NJIGP 15-002 |
| Land-based partner: | Golden Nugget |
| Online launch: | 2013 |
Golden Nugget tops the list as the best performing online casino in New Jersey, and as the site with the largest selection of casino games in the state. Golden Nugget boasts a massive catalog of more than 550 games, offering 400+ slot titles that include exclusive games developed by Bally. A wide variety of table games, live dealer games, scratchers, video poker games, and the recent addition of online sports betting offers something for everyone. The Golden Nugget mobile site currently hosts more than 200 of their game titles as well.
The advanced game filtering options on the Golden Nugget casino site make it exceptionally easy to navigate the huge selection. You can filter games by type, theme, name, rating, and developer.
Examples of the extensive selection of game developers include:
- Bally
- Everi
- High 5
- IGT
- Konami
- NetEnt
- NextGen
- Side City Studios
- WMS
You can play a wide variety of Golden Nugget’s games for free in demo mode without registering or logging in first.
Golden Nugget pros:
- 550+ casino games- the largest selection in New Jersey
- A very intuitive and user-friendly site
- Huge selection of demo play mode/free play options
- Play games in free mode without registering or logging in
- Convenient game filters
- Frequent promotions
- Exclusive games (by Bally)
- Live dealer games
- Online sports betting
- A wide variety of accepted payment methods
- Generous welcome bonus
Golden Nugget cons:
- Smaller game selection on mobile
- Occasional glitches in free play and real play mode
Welcome bonus: Golden Nugget offers one of the most generous first-deposit bonuses in New Jersey, with 100% up to $1,500 (10x wagering requirement), plus a $20 no-deposit, sign-up bonus.
SugarHouse Online Casino New Jersey
| IGP license number: | NJIGP 15-002 |
| Land-based partner: | Golden Nugget AC |
| Online launch: | 2016 |
The SugarHouse online site is managed by Rush Street Interactive, along with the land-based SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Entering the New Jersey market later than other top online casinos, SugarHouse caught up quickly and now boasts more than 450 games on their proprietary platform.
Examples of games include:
- Slots
- Progressive slots
- Advanced roulette, American roulette
- Three-card poker, live three-card poker
- Blackjack, multibet blackjack, single-deck blackjack
- Live blackjack, roulette, and baccarat
- Scratchers
- Video Poker, Video Bingo, Video Keno
- Virtual sports betting
More than 200 of those games are available on their mobile casino, with a mobile gaming experience that closely emulates the casino site. SugarHouse also recently rolled out online sports betting.
The SugarHouse site also offers helpful and extensive game filtering options to search game names and to sort by type, characteristics, and developer.
Examples of game developers include:
- IGT
- NextGen
- Konami
- NetEnt
- High 5
- WMS
- Bally
- Everi
- Rush (exclusive games)
Unfortunately, it is not possible to preview or play the games for free in demo mode unless you register and log in to the site first.
SugarHouse pros:
- 450+ games
- Online sports betting
- Live dealer games
- Low 1x wagering requirement on welcome bonus
- Proprietary platform
- Helpful game filters
- Special promotions like free daily bingo games
SugarHouse cons:
- Later entrance into the NJ market
- Must register or log in to play in demo mode for free
- Smaller mobile game selection
Welcome bonus: Although the SugarHouse first-deposit bonus is relatively low at 100% up to $250, the wagering requirement is only 1x, making it one of the most easily attainable bonuses at New Jersey online casinos.
Virgin Casino
| IGP license number: | NJIGP 15-005 |
| Land-based partner: | Tropicana |
| Online launch: | 2014 |
Virgin Casino boasts the cool and respected global Virgin brand, which also parlays into unique promotions and prizes like vacations through Virgin Adventures, electronics, and music promotions. For instance, this month Virgin Casino is giving away a trip to Cancun, Mexico, and a Nintendo Switch.
Operating under the land-based Tropicana AC casino license, the Virgin and Tropicana sites offer very similar games and some similar promotions and special features. For example, community jackpot games award every player who was playing within an hour before a jackpot hit with a share of the prize. They both offer free 90-ball bingo games every half hour.
The selection of 200+ games is relatively small compared to other top online casinos in NJ, but the games are carefully curated.
Examples of Virgin’s game selection include:
- Slots, including exclusive slots titles
- Baccarat
- Single-zero roulette
- Video poker
- Community jackpot games
- Multihand blackjack, single-deck blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack
- Craps
- Keno
- Bingo
- Pai gow Poker
Games are provided by top development brands, including:
- NetEnt
- WMS
- IGT
- High 5
- Gamesys (exclusive games)
You can preview Virgin’s games and play in free play mode without registering or logging in to the casino.
Virgin Casino pros:
- 200+ games
- Unique promotions like travel awards and electronics
- Cashback welcome bonus with no wagering requirements
- Trusted Virgin brand
- Community jackpots
- 90-ball bingo
- Daily free spins offers
- Play in demo mode for free without registering or logging in
- Exclusive slot titles
- Wide variety of accepted payment methods
Virgin Casino cons:
- No online sports betting
- No live games
- Relatively small game selection
- No game filters or game search function
- Limited mobile game selection
Welcome bonus: Get up to $100 cash back on net losses (instead of bonus money), with no wagering requirements, plus $25 free money as a no-deposit, sign-up bonus.
Caesars Online Casino
| IGP license number: | NJIGP 15-005 |
| Land-based partner: | Caesars Palace |
| Online launch: | 2013 |
Caesars is one of the more iconic brands on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and Las Vegas Strip, and their online casino boasts participation in the Caesars rewards program along with the 40 Caesars/Harrah’s locations worldwide.
Caesars Online Casino offers 400+ games, with an impressive collection of more than 300 of those games available on their top-notch mobile casino. Caesars is currently pushing their new online sports betting options as well.
Examples of Caesars’ online game selection include:
- Slots
- Three-card poker
- Blackjack Xchange, blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack
- French roulette, European roulette, three-wheel roulette
- Virtual sports
- Video poker
- Scratchers
- Slingo
Games are provided by top development brands, including:
- NetEnt
- WMS
- Konami
- IGT
- Everi
- Scientific Games
- NextGen Gaming
You can play a wide variety of Caesars games for free in demo mode without registering or logging in to the casino first.
Caesars casino pros:
- 400+ games
- 300+ mobile games
- Caesars Rewards – global points program
- Play in demo mode for free without registering or logging in
- Online sports betting
Caesars casino cons:
- No live games
- Limited game filters
Welcome bonus: Get a 100% bonus on your first deposit up to $300, with a 5x wagering requirement, plus a no-deposit, sign-up bonus of $25. They also offer this promotion for sports betting.
Betfair Casino New Jersey
| IGP license number: | NJIGP 15-002 |
| Land-based partner: | Golden Nugget |
| Online launch: | 2013 |
Betfair is one of the world’s largest sports betting sites. Based in the United Kingdom, the company partnered with Golden Nugget AC to enter the New Jersey market. Betfair has yet to launch online sports betting in NJ, though.
Betfair does offer the biggest welcome bonus in New Jersey- 100% up to $2,500– and also boasts the biggest online casino payout in NJ to date, which topped out at over $1.5 million. Betfair’s catalog contains more than 300 games, including a selection of exclusive slots, exclusive jackpot games, and exclusive table games.
Examples of Betfair’s online game selection include:
- Slots, including jackpot games
- Exclusive table games: Roulette Royale, Deuces Wild, Hi-Lo solitaire
- Blackjack
- European roulette, three-wheel roulette
- Virtual sports
- Video poker
- Live blackjack, live roulette, live baccarat
Games are by top developers like:
- NetEnt
- WMS
- IGT
It is not possible to preview Betfair’s games or play in demo mode without first registering and logging in to the site.
Betfair pros:
- 300+ games
- Biggest first-deposit bonus in NJ
- Live dealer games
- Some game filters
- Exclusive slots and table games
- Game-of-the-week promotions
Betfair cons:
- Registration or login required to play demo games for free
- No online sports betting
- Limited mobile game selection
- Tougher first-deposit bonus playthrough requirement than other NJ casinos
Welcome bonus: Betfair offers the highest welcome bonus in New Jersey, but also the highest playthrough requirements. If you opt into their bonuses, you can get a 100% bonus up to $2,500 on your first deposit, with a 20x playthrough requirement, plus $30 in free cash as a sign-up bonus.
Sweepstakes-based online gambling
If you’re not physically in New Jersey at the moment, you can still legally play slots (and blackjack and video poker) at some innovative new online casinos that cater to the U.S. market. Using a unique sweepstake and real-money exchange model, Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots operate within the legal guidelines of the UIGEA to offer online slots options to players throughout the United States.