PokerStars in New Jersey by Fall of 2015

Readers on the lookout for an April Fool's joke may have read the above headline and thought to themselves, "I'm not falling for that one."

Indeed, we have heard stories of PokerStars' approval and launch in New Jersey at least two times previously. October of 2014 was a sure thing - until it wasn't.

And then earlier this year, none other than New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak tweeted that it would happen in March. April is here, meaning that March has come and gone without a peep from the Division of Gaming Enforcement regarding a PokerStars site in the Garden State.

And now, just like the boy who cried "wolf" and nobody believed him because he cried wolf too many times previously without any wolves in sight, we have a new announcement regarding PokerStars in New Jersey. Should we believe it?

Well, this time it may be for real because it was Amaya CEO David Baazov who said it. “As it relates to New Jersey I would say that we feel that this is coming […] we would expect to receive and launch in the next quarter,” Baazov stated in response to a question during a conference call, onlinepokerreport.com reported.

OPR then reached out to Amaya for confirmation and received it. The "next quarter" means Q3, or the fall of 2015.

PokerStars is expected to zap some life into the regulated online poker and gambling industry in New Jersey. The Amaya offering is already providing a spark in other areas, such as sports betting. The company accepted their first wager in that realm and is also set to grab a piece of daily fantasy sports wagering in due course.

While many will likely continue to remain skeptical about PokerStars entering the regulated U.S. market in New Jersey - with good reason considering similar announcements in the past that never came to fruition - Baazov is apparently not fooling.