NJ Online Poker Advocate Could Replace Chris Christie

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been busy with his presidential campaign but will most likely have to shut it down as polls suggest that there are other candidates that America prefers. Christie has tried hard the last couple of years to revive the garden state’s struggling gambling industry but has not been very successful in arresting the decline.

Four out of the twelve casinos in New Jersey were forced to shutdown operations in 2014 due to market stagnation and New Jersey’s online poker industry which was legalized in 2013 has fallen well below initial estimates.

One of Governor Christie’s tasks was to ensure that the casino industry is revived so that it could contribute to state gaming revenue and also create additional employment opportunities in New Jersey.

The online poker industry in New Jersey has been in turmoil ever since it went live as player traffic has been extremely poor and online poker websites have found it hard to post a profit. Ultimate Poker and Betfair have already shutdown their operations stating that they did not believe the online poker market in New Jersey would change anytime soon. Industry analysts believe that the market could change for the better once PokerStars, the biggest online poker website in the world launches operations in New Jersey.

Some analysts believe that it needs someone new at the helm to lead New Jersey’s gambling industry and online poker industry out of the slump. Ray Lesniak, a New Jersey lawmaker who is pretty well known in the online poker community is expected to run for the post of governor in 2017 and poker analysts believe that if he should be elected as New Jersey government it would be a huge boost for the online poker industry in the garden state.

Lesniak who is a Democratic State Senator was responsible for putting forward legislation that was eventually responsible for online gambling being legalized in 2013. The senator at that point of time stated that he was the biggest proponent for online gaming in New Jersey and if he had his way he would turn New Jersey into the “Mecca of Internet gaming.”

Those are big claims to make considering the current state of the New Jersey market and what it could look like in 2017. However, Lesniak remains committed to his promise that if he does get a crack at being the Governor of New Jersey he will commit to reviving the online poker industry and making it the best in the country.