It has often been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that's not always a good thing. New Jersey's new Internet gaming business is off to a good start, but neighboring states could soon turn copycat and take away revenue.

Internet Gambling
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"Even if New Jersey gets a bump in revenue from internet gaming right now, how long will that bump last because other states will almost certainly follow suit," said Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor Peter Woolley. "They're almost certainly going to keep close tabs on New Jersey to see if this is another easy way to get some revenue."

Thirty-six states now have gambling in some form, but New Jersey's surrounding states do not permit Internet gaming. It would be easy from them to allow the Garden State to be their Internet gambling guinea pig.

"Here we are locked in this competition with our neighbors for casinos and we're trying to keep the action in Atlantic City," Woolley said. "We'll see if our competitors cut the legs out from under us by introducing their own Internet gambling."

It's not a heavy lift for states to permit Internet gaming, Woolley said. All of the investment is on the part of private casinos and the state really just has to sit back and count the revenue from its own taxation.

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