From Press of Atlantic City
A former gambling regulator from Malta regarded as an expert in online gambling development has been selected to help New Jersey implement Internet wagering by the end of the year.
The announcement, made by New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck at the East Coast Gaming Congress on Wednesday, came during a day of speakers who focused heavily on the impact Internet gambling could have on the state and Atlantic City’s casinos.
A panel of Wall Street experts touted online gambling as the development that could finally turn around the Atlantic City market’s declining revenues.
Rebuck said Mario Galea, who was selected from a field of seven applicants, will begin working with the state this week as it approaches its aggressive timeline for implementation of Internet gambling. Galea, of Random Consulting, is the former CEO of the Lotteries and Gaming Authority in Malta and has 15 years of experience in online gambling.
New Jersey law allows casinos to offer Internet gambling beginning Nov. 26. Rebuck sounded doubtful that the industry will be ready by that date because of all of the planning and preparations needed to introduce an entirely new form of gambling. He said it is more realistic to expect casinos to roll out Internet wagering between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
