New Responsible Gaming Legislation Coming to New Jersey?

With the new year having come and gone, so too has the start of a new legislative session in New Jersey, and with that comes some potentially new responsible gaming bills. 

As time goes on, online gambling, both NJ online casino play and sports betting, is becoming more acceptable. However, lawmakers are still trying to balance assisting those who need help from problematic gambling with not sacrificing excessive amounts of state tax revenue. 

Here are some of the proposed bills as this new session continues: 

S2272

Introduced by Senate President Nicholas Scutari, this bill would call for a “state gambling treatment diversion court.” This means that those convicted of gambling-related crimes prioritize treatment over incarceration. This bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

S1242

With this bill, which was introduced by the state court system, those involved with underage gambling would be enrolled in treatment programs for compulsive gambling prevention and education. If someone under 21 gambles at a casino, they’re subject to a fine of $500 to $1,000. This bill has been referred to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee. 

A1711 

A bill introduced by Assemblywoman Garnet Hall, this bill would cause health classes in high school to educate students on the dangers of gambling addiction, taking risks with finances, and probability versus predictability. This bill has been referred to the Assembly Education Committee.

A1715

Finally, this bill, which has been referred to the Assembly Higher Education Committee, would call for colleges to create prevention awareness programs if they do decide to link up with an online sports betting outfit. 

It’ll be interesting to see which, if any, of these bills make it into law.