Over the past few weeks, Net Entertainment has been waiting to hear from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on their license. Since that review could take some time, the DGE has granted NetEnt a wavier to offer games in the state while their official application is still under review. This is something that they have done before, but it's not something that they've done for all software companies, and there are some big reasons behind that.
Bad Actors and Good Actors
Net Entertainment has received some level of criticism in the past for not being as aggressive as some people think they should be in unregulated markets. They're very careful about working virtually exclusively with regulated markets, and they prefer to stay out of places where there is any gray area as to the legality of online gambling. Companies that have offered games in violation of the UIGEA in the past have been labeled "bad actors," and this has hurt their ability to get their foot in the door in many emerging US markets. PokerStars is a good example of this in the online poker realm.
However, Net Entertainment's history of working almost completely inside of regulated markets, including avoiding the US market, is probably one of the biggest reasons why they were granted a waiver relatively quickly.
What This Means for Players
There are short-term and long-term consequences for this decision for the players. In the immediate future, players will be able to enjoy NetEnt-powered games through bwin.party and the Borgata's partnership. The official name of the company for these purposes are NetEnt Americas LLC, and that just goes to show that they are definitely prepared to enter various US markets when the opportunity is made available.
In the long run, this means that we will almost certainly see Net Entertainment licensed in the state of New Jersey. Because they produce some of the best online casino games available today, that means that players are going to be getting a high-quality product over a longer term. This also puts them in a position to jump into place in the future as more states regulate the online gambling industry, and this is a big part of their overall strategy.