Borgata: First casino to allow bets from TV

John Forelli, a vice presicent at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City NJ demonstrates a new in-room gambling system Monday Feb. 11, 2013 in Atlantic City. The system will be available to guests starting Feb. 18. The casino says it is the first in the nation to offer this technology, which is says can be expanded to encompass hand-held gambling devices and even Internet betting once it is legalized. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
John Forelli, a vice presicent at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City NJ demonstrates a new in-room gambling system Monday Feb. 11, 2013 in Atlantic City. The system will be available to guests starting Feb. 18. The casino says it is the first in the nation to offer this technology, which is says can be expanded to encompass hand-held gambling devices and even Internet betting once it is legalized. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) (Wayne Parry)
John Forelli, a vice presicent at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City NJ demonstrates a new in-room gambling system Monday Feb. 11, 2013 in Atlantic City. The system will be available to guests starting Feb. 18. The casino says it is the first in the nation to offer this technology, which is says can be expanded to encompass hand-held gambling devices and even Internet betting once it is legalized. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)GALLERY: John Forelli, a vice presicent at the Borgata Hotel Casino… (Wayne Parry )
By Wayne Parry, Associated Press
Posted: February 13, 2013

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Guests at one New Jersey casino won't even have to get out of bed in order to place a bet.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City said it will become the first casino in the United States to let guests gamble over hotel room TV sets, starting Feb. 18.

Its e-Casino program will let guests with player's cards set up electronic accounts and risk up to $2,500 a day. Slots and four kinds of video poker will be the first games offered.

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.

Borgata officials said they had no estimates of how much they expect to take in through the system, which is subject to a 90-day trial period by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

The system is built by Allin Interactive, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., company that specializes in interactive television applications.

There are several controls to prevent the system from being used by minors or people excluded from gambling. A customer would have to have a Borgata player's club card, which would screen them to ensure they are of legal gambling age and are not banned from any casino premises.

The system works using the TV remote control. Players can toggle among games.

Players who want to cash out just click a button on the screen and the proceeds of their gambling go into an e-wallet that can be stored for future visits, or paid out at the casino cashier cage, just like winnings accrued on the casino floor.

The technology is currently used on large cruise ships. It will be available in all 2,000 of the Borgata's rooms.

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