New Jersey casino to allow guests to gamble from their hotel rooms
New York, Feb 12 : Guests at one New Jersey casino hotel will not have to get out of bed in order to place their bets.
The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City said that it will become the first casino in the United States to let guests gamble over hotel room TV sets, starting February 18, the New York Daily News reported.
Its E-Casino program will let guests with player's cards set up electronic accounts and risk up to 2,500 dollars a day.
Slots and four kinds of video poker will be the first games offered.
The casino said that the technology can be expanded to include gambling over hand-held devices anywhere on casino property, which New Jersey recently authorized, and full Internet gambling, if the state approves it.
"This puts us in a position to leverage the technology into true mobile gaming and Internet betting later on. We're moving forward with the future of gaming, and this is that first step," Tom Balance, the Borgata's president and chief operating officer said.
John Forelli, the casino's vice president of information technology, said it is designed not only as an added amenity, but to get them familiar and comfortable with the concept of electronic gambling accounts for the day when Internet wagering comes to New Jersey.
The casino does not expect in-room gambling to supplant a significant portion of its action on the casino floor.
Rather, it views it as an added attraction for customers trying to decide which of many East Coast casino destinations to visit.