iGaming Business – Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications at online poker operator PokerStars, remains ‘confident’ about what the company can achieve in the US market in 2014 despite having suffered a number of disappointments in the last year.
One of the main goals of Pokerstars in 2013 was to launch an online gambling service in the recently regulated US state of New Jersey.
However, as reported by iGaming Business, the firm had its application suspended for two years by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement due to ongoing concerns surrounding the company’s founder, Isai Scheinberg.
In addition, PokerStars parent company the Rational Group’s proposed investment in the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in New Jersey also fell through in April 2013 after it missed a deadline for acquiring a temporary licence.
As reported by iGaming Business in December 2013, the Atlantic Club is now set to close on January 13, with land-based operator Caesars Entertainment Corporation’s subsidiary Caesars Entertainment Operating Company acquiring the non-gaming assets of the facility.
In a blog on the PokerStars website, Hollreiser said he was “saddened” by the new of the closure but said the firm is “no longer in a position” to help employees at the hotel.
“It’s always sad when hard-working people lose their jobs, especially during the holiday season,” he said. “This is particularly sad, though, because it simply didn’t have to happen.
“Now the Atlantic Club will be stripped for parts and its employees will be put out onto the boardwalk in search of new jobs in 2014. Unfortunately, PokerStars is no longer in a position to help the Atlantic Club employees and the local economy in general.
“The continued delays in our regulatory review prevent us from entering the market at this time and bringing the marketing and operational investment we have planned for the past year.”
Despite the disappointments, Hollreiser said PokerStars (long considered by some to be the best online poker site) still believes in the potential of the New Jersey online gaming market.
“We continue to share the vision that online gaming will be a boon for New Jersey,” he said.
