Another Internet Gambling Company Angling For an Atlantic City Casino Partner
By David Madden
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Companies large and small are trying to get on the ground floor of the Internet gaming in New Jersey that will be based at Atlantic City casinos.
The latest to enter the fray is a British company you've probably never heard of.
Online gambling with a live dealer is one of the offerings that 2Up gaming says makes it different from everyone else.
Partner Vincent Crandon, who works out of New York, says the firm has kept a low profile while getting everything ready. Now, he says, they are, with $330 million to set up a presence in Atlantic City.
"We're in active negotiations with a few organizations to acquire a property," Crandon tells KYW Newsradio. "In the event that we're not able to come to an agreement with an acquisition, we are prepared to build anew."
Most of the dozen existing Atlantic City casinos have already arranged Internet partnerships, subject to regulatory approval, to get things rolling come this fall, when the new law is set to take effect.
Crandon expects 2Up to have an announcement on its plans around Labor Day.
Roger Gros, publisher of Casino Connection magazine, says Internet gambling might be the shot in the arm that Atlantic City needs.
"Atlantic City is probably the worst performing gaming jurisdiction in the country," he notes, "so for there to be that much interest in investing that much capital in Atlantic City shows that there's something still here and something still valuable about this town."
