PokerStars' Approval in NJ Expected

Regulated online poker in the U.S. will likely benefit greatly from the presence of PokerStars, yet the online gaming giant has yet to be rubber-stamped by New Jersey gaming regulators.

Previous assurances that PokerStars' approval in the Garden State was a sure thing came and went, leaving those of us wanting it to happen feeling like a guaranteed prize pool was yanked from the schedule. There is still no guarantee that players in New Jersey will be playing under the red spade anytime soon - if at all - but a recent interview with New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak again fuels reason for hope.

Lesniak told CardPlayer that he continues "to hear that it will [PokerStars license approval] very likely happen in short order." However, Lesniak prefaced that by admitting that he is reluctant "to venture a guess because the information I’ve gotten over the past year has not passed."

Indeed, the NJ lawmaker cried wolf previously, claiming in September 2014 that PokerStars' approval was imminent in a matter of weeks. It didn't happen. Then in January of this year, the governor wannabe mentioned March as a good bet for PokerStars to be welcomed in New Jersey. Those who bet on that tidbit of information lost.

So should we believe Lesniak this time? Or have we learned our lesson? Well, the honcho of parent company Amaya Gaming, CEO Davis Baazov, stated several months ago that he expected an approval and launch to take place in Q3, which runs through September.

There are still six weeks remaining in Q3. Let's see if it happens this time. If not, people may stop paying attention.