Philly.com – Internet gambling analysts and casino executives say the increased use of cellphones to place bets could accelerate the growth of the nascent industry in the state. “Mobile applications will play an enormous piece of the puzzle in online wagering, which is why we are so positive and see so much upside in months ahead,” said Joe Lupo, senior vice president of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which began offering gambling Monday over Android cellphones on 3G and 4G networks. Lupo’s casino also allows phones using WiFi connections to access its online gambling sites. The casinos won $7.4…

Governor Christie and the state Attorney General’s office have filed the New Jersey sports betting appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a 22-year-old federal law that is preventing New Jersey racetracks and Atlantic City’s casinos from offering sports betting. The state’s thoroughbred horsemen, who also have standing in the case on the side of New Jersey, also have filed. The response from the Dept of Justice, NFL, et al is due March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day). NOTE: SCOTUS not expected to make a decision on whether to take the case (they take relatively few) until…

Gaming Today – One man’s life was changed forever last Saturday night as New Jersey’s first-ever Next Poker Millionaire was crowned in a momentous online tournament that culminated in a televised championship event played live at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Myroslaw Woroch (online screen name “onetime99”) had never won more than $7,000 playing poker until last weekend when he flopped a straight in the definitive hand against his heads-up opponent, Steven Edwards. “It was truly a surreal experience when I knew that I had him beat,” said Woroch. “When that final card came out my emotions…

iGaming Business – Gaming research company Commercial Intelligence (CI) has reported that the regulation of online gambling in New Jersey has led to a “marked improvement” of players from non-approved websites to those now approved in the US state. Speaking at the ICE Totally Gaming Exhibition, CI said that its research showed that of the 65% of New Jersey online players using non-approved websites, 35% have switched to one or more of the approved sites. Geoffrey Dixon, head of research at CI, said that the movement towards regulated websites would in turn help generate greater tax revenues for the state….

Last week, the latest appeals court refused to hear New Jersey’s sports betting challenge of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) law. And Governor Chris Christie immediately announced he would take the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the upper court refuses to hear the case or simply announces that the law is constitutional, New Jersey will have no further recourse and the chance of having the law repealed or amended could be dead forever. The New Jersey Governor along with other legislators believe the state is being wrongly handcuffed by the law…

Just days before the New Jersey online gambling experiment goes live, the lawmaker responsible for pushing the issue in the first place is setting his sights on global gamblers. State Senator Raymond Lesniak plans to introduce a bill that would let international companies set up shop in New Jersey and then offer online gambling to people located outside the U.S. The idea is to play on America’s reputation for financial security: Legal gambling operations headquartered in New Jersey would presumably appear less likely to make off with customers’ money or crumble under shifting regulations. Lest he might fail to establish…