The casino industry in the USA’s NJ state has seen some of the major changes in recent history. Some of these changes have been a turning point for the development of the state. In this article, we will see how the industry of real money games developed over the years in NJ and what the future holds.
New Jersey's history of gambling has been fruitful and long and has seen it become a gambling hub for fans. Now, New Jersey and its casinos are unlike the typical UK casino sites that you may find, like BoyleSports Casino for example, as they are mainly in person and online gambling isn't as big as you might think.
The beginning of the legalisation of casinos in the state of New Jersey was very humble. The state’s Casino Control Commission was created in 1977, and its headquarters were just two mid-size rooms to control all the operations in the state. By 1979, the headquarters of the commission was filled with petitions to open gaming houses in the state.
New Jersey's first establishment for real money games was opened in 1978, and its name was Resorts International. This marked the start of the iconic journey of the casino city of NJ, Atlantic City. The next popular casinos in line were Caesars and Bally’s. By the 1980s, the casino industry was booming, but then the Abscam scandal took place. In order to control the damage, NJ established the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) in 1984. CRDA helped the state use the revenue generated from casinos to modernise Atlantic City.
After that, everything was smooth sailing for the state, and then, in the 2000s, big private players entered the city to establish their foothold. By now, Atlantic City had big names like Donald Trump, Hilton, and Harrah. With their entry, there was a big evolution and revitalization of casinos. This was also the time when the NY Commission drafted the regulations for online gambling.
For 10 years, the private players enjoyed the continued growth of the popularity of Atlantic City and its casino services. However, after the closure of venues like Revel and Trump Plaza in the 2010s, there was a huge dip in the overall popularity of the betting games offered in the state.
But at this point, a majority of the income of NJ was generated through commissions from players who played games using real money. To stay profitable, the state shifted its focus towards iGaming and sports betting. Now the state moved from the revenue from luxurious hotels, food and drinks, and other fields which used to get customers from casinos.
Finally, in 2013, New Jersey completely legalised operators to start their business online. By now, new casino websites were popping up like popcorn all over the state. Also, in 2018, New Jersey won the legal battle with Nevada; thus, online sports betting also became available for users.
The trend of online casinos is changing rapidly, especially in 2025, when new types of games that use AI and other advanced technology are coming to light. With the use of AI, it is now possible to create new and better games quickly; thus, online betting sites now have an inflow of new material for players every week! The advanced Random Number Generators (RNGs) using AI are now powering such games to deliver better and fair gameplay.
The online gambling websites in New Jersey may receive the most advanced technology, VR - Virtual Reality. Similar to UK casinos, the i-gaming site operators in NJ are trying to integrate VR technology with games to make it a more interactive experience for customers.
With the new VR real-money game sites, you can enjoy the same thrill as brick-and-mortar gambling horses back in the day. You can buy chips using your digital money in these casinos and enjoy your favourite classing game.
It is possible that new establishments will open up soon in NJ to accommodate this new kind of casino. This is because, to access the VR world, you would need to buy headsets, body suites, and more expensive equipment. There will be plenty of players who would rather rent these than buy them. This would create a new revenue stream for the state. Also, if a different gambling license were required to operate such a VR world, then that would also generate some income.
