A new survey released earlier this week showed that New Jersey’s online gaming industry, set to open in less than two weeks, hasn’t been able to garner awareness from Garden State citizens and may not be as popular as previously thought.

Poker Affiliate Solutions conducted the survey from October 16 to 21, getting responses from 500 New Jersey residents regarding their thoughts on the upcoming launch. The survey was two questions long and, using a five-point scale, provided some insight into New Jersey’s online gaming launch.

“The goal of this survey was to capture a snapshot of New Jersey consumers in the weeks leading up to the launch of regulated online gambling in the state,” the PAS publication stated. “In general terms,the survey revealed that casino operators have both a substantial opportunity and a significant challenge ahead with regulated online gambling.”

The first question asked was about a person’s familiarity with the planned launch later this month of New Jersey’s online gaming and poker operations. Almost half of those surveyed (46.6%) indicated that they were not at all familiar with the plans for the new industry, while only 10% stated they were “very familiar” with the opening.

The second question centered on the likelihood that the respondent would play on the sites. In answering that question, a stunning 62.6% said that they would “definitely not play,” while only 15.2% said they “definitely would play.”

PAS has drawn several conclusions from the survey. “Despite substantial coverage of the subject in local and mainstream media, the topline responses to our survey strongly suggest that New Jersey residents are, by and large, under-informed regarding the state’s plans to introduce regulated online poker and online casino games,” PAS wrote.

“From these results, one could easily conclude that education of NJ consumers represents a tremendous opportunity for operators, affiliates, and any other B2C entity in the New Jersey regulated online gambling space.” The organization has concluded that a “vast majority of New Jersey residents appear to range from undereducated to completely uneducated on the subject of regulated online gambling.”

There is some good news that came out of the PAS survey, however. PAS has determined that the main demographic for the New Jersey online gaming scene consists of urban males between the ages of 35 and 41. “[This demographic] exhibits the highest levels of interest in regulated online gambling,” PAS stated.

The data on those who said they “definitely would play” indicates that 8% of New Jersey residents will play, higher than the 2% to 6% that was estimated previously. Finally, the market could grow larger due to a high number of what PAS calls “undecideds” who may or may not participate in the online gaming scene. “20% are reasonably categorized as possible participants,” PAS stated. “The brand that reaches and converts this group will capture a substantial advantage in New Jersey’s limited market.”

Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community page for more details.

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