HOBOKEN —If you're a gambler in Hoboken, don't bet on being able to play online throughout the city. Online gamblers may be shut out of games in certain parts of the city over concerns that it is too close to the state's border.

Technology companies are wary of metro borderlands near the Hudson River since locating data may not always be able to differentiate between New York and New Jersey in areas close to the border. This means that cities along the waterfront, including Hoboken, Weehawken and Jersey City may not always be able to tap into New Jersey's latest gambling venture.

The state is set to launch online gambling Nov. 26, after a five-day trial starting this Thursday. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is monitoring the border areas, to assure that gamers aren't placing bets outside the state, Lisa Spengler, a division spokeswoman, said.

"Geo location is of paramount importance to us as we regulate New Jersey's Internet gaming market and we are using the most advanced technology and multiple means of tracking to prevent individuals from conducting Internet wagering from outside New Jersey's borders," she said in an e-mail.

The accessibility of online gambling sites in Hoboken and surrounding areas is uncertain and will likely vary depending on the individual providers, according to officials. The Associated Press reported that casinos are setting up digital fences that don't exactly match the state's borders in order to create "no-play zones" in areas where gamblers can easily cross state lines. The companies are being cautious in order to avoid unspecified potential fines for illegal gamblers, according to the report.

"No one can afford to risk that," Tobin Prior, CEO of Ultimate Gaming, told the Associated Press. "We would err on the side of caution.

Gamblers standing on piers in Hoboken, for instance, likely won't be able to play, said Jeff Allyn, senior vice president of sales and marketing of Locaid, a geolocation company approved to work with casino licensees and iGaming permit holders in New Jersey. Allyn said he doesn't anticipate accessibility problems being widespread, but that it really depends on individual companies and how conservative they decide to be in validating New Jersey gamblers.

Companies are working out how to validate gamers in areas near New York and Philadelphia — namely those along the Hudson and Delaware rivers, he said. Locaid is working with its customers on how to address the issue, Allyn said.

"The integrity of the system is critically important," he said. "It's our job to make sure that we're validating everyone to the best of our ability."

Locaid set up a virtual fence around Nevada where online gambling is accessible, but New Jersey presents a different challenge, due to the high populations of cities along the state's border, Allyn said. Technology companies are working out different solutions to the problem, including creating a buffer zone between the state border and the virtual fence, as well monitoring users near state borders more closely than others, he said.

He said he anticipates that the systems will be more refined as the companies gain more experience with online gambling in the state.