On Wednesday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (pictured), who previously vetoed a bill that would have launched the first intrastate online poker market in the U.S., clarified his stance on the issue. Christie told NorthJersey.com, “Folks should know I favor it, I want to do it… I think being able to have this be an Atlantic City-centric thing is something that makes sense to me. And given the Justice Department’s go ahead for people to be able to do it, I think we should go ahead and move on it. But, we have to do it in a responsible way and it should be Atlantic City-centric.”

Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association(iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan, who has been closely following the legislation in New Jersey, told PocketFives on Thursday, “It’s very encouraging to see that Governor Christie is working hard to address all of the questions and concerns people have regarding bringing internet gambling to New Jersey. It’s nice to see him closely engaged in this and we’re looking forward to seeing this pass before the end of the month.”

Christie added that he is in favor of intrastate internet gambling legislation, but only if it could withstand pressure on multiple fronts: “I think New Jersey should be in that business. I think we should be an epicenter for that business, but I want to do it right. I do not want to rush and get legislation that either doesn’t pass state constitutional muster or creates other problems for us.” Christie vetoed the initial legislation proposed by State Senator Raymond Lesniak in May.

Earlier this week, it was rumored that New Jersey lawmakers could approve intrastate online gaming as soon as next Monday, the final day of the current legislative session. However, according to multiple sources, that time line is now delayed. Nevertheless, Lesniak(pictured) told NorthJersey.com, “I’ve agreed to reintroduce internet gaming in the next legislative session and I expect that we can get it through the Legislature and signed by the Governor within the first few weeks of the new session.”

With states like Nevada already accepting applications for operators and others like California and Iowa chomping at the bit, the race is on in New Jersey to act.

There appears to be a distinct advantage to being the first-mover in the internet gambling market, leaving Lesniak to remark, “While I remain hopeful that New Jersey can take the lead on this exciting new direction for wagering – which would result in new revenues, new jobs, and new economic activity in the Garden State – I recognize that the complex issues surrounding internet wagering will take more time to iron out than we are afforded in the waning days of the current legislative session.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s gaming revenues have come under fire from the expansion of gambling in nearby states like Pennsylvaniaand Delaware. On Thursday, NorthJersey.com published a separate article about a potential casino in Queens, New York, which could potentially exacerbate New Jersey’s gaming woes. The Garden State is apparently contemplating building its own casino at the storied Meadowlands, just a stone’s throw from much of New York City and connected to the Big Apple via a rail line.

Whether a casino in Queens would have poker tables remains to be seen, but on TwoPlusTwo, several members of the community looked forward to the possibility of legalized gambling in their backyard. One wrote, “I’m moving to NY soon and I would love some legal poker rooms. My friends in the city who play poker have told me horror stories about the 10 percent rake at the underground rooms.”

In the end, the expansion of gambling live and online boils down, in part, to jobs. As one poster on TwoPlusTwo wrote, “Personally, I think this will happen and happen fast. People in NY need good-paying, recession-proof jobs and casinos are it. It also gives the whole area a boost [by] injecting money into the economy.”

Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest poker legislation news.