It’s official. It’s finally over. Online poker, as a business, is legal in New Jersey.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Tuesday that authorizes casinos in struggling Atlantic City to eventually offer Internet versions of casino games intrastate — and one day beyond.

Christie’s action comes after he decided to conditionally veto the measure earlier this month, sending it back to lawmakers to vote on his proposed changes. They agreed with the governor, voting Tuesday to make the amendments and end years of debating the issue in Trenton.

What Christie wanted was considered very minor, and thus it was easy to get the bill back to him just a couple of weeks later. Now it’s up to state gaming regulators to figure out precisely how to license and oversee the complex new industry.

However, it could take quite some time for the first New Jersey-based sites to offer real-money games. Nevada legalized online poker in June 2011, but still hasn’t allowed any of its online gaming licensees to bring a product to the market. Just last week, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill that tweaked his state’s Internet gaming rules.

In addition to New Jersey and Nevada, Delaware has legal online betting. That state could see its first real-money games debut this fall, probably following a Nevada move.

“It’s off to the races for New Jersey,” Sen. Ray Lesniak, sponsor of the bill, told Card Player on Feb. 7. “This is a huge lifeline for Atlantic City — a big win for the state.”

The news is also great for PokerStars, which is looking to buy a casino in Atlantic City.

Image via Wikipedia.

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