New Jersey Introduces Four Problem Gambling Bills

Building better safeguards and improved consumer protection for New Jersey sports bettors is among the objectives being pursued as the New Jersey state legislature considers four new bills that all address issues surrounding problem gambling. All four bills were introduced this week by New Jersey State Senators.

Senator Andrew Zwicker is the sponsor of Senate Bill 3401 (S3401). It would prohibit casino and sports wagering licensees from utilizing push notifications or text messages for promotional purposes. The fine for each violation of this prohibition would be set at a minimum of $500.

The reasoning behind this bill is a belief that push notifications and promotional text messages to instantly market gambling offers directly to customers increases the chance of a player developing a gambling problem. Critics insist that this aggressive advertising practice can encourage excessive betting behavior.

Senator Paul Moriarty is the sponsor of three bills – S3419, S3420, and S3461.

The first bill, S3419, would require sports wagering licensees to adopt and publish rules governing wagering account limitations and to notify patrons when accounts are limited. Operators of sports betting sites in New Jersey would need to create and publicly disclose all rules that govern account limitations. At the same time, it would be their legal duty to notify customers whenever any of those restrictions are placed on their betting accounts.

Meanwhile, S3420 prohibits sports wagering licensees from offering incentive-based wagering to anyone utilizing responsible gaming mechanisms. These measures would include responsible gambling tools such as setting deposit limits and implementing self-exclusion.

By enacting the problem gambling measures, these players have self-identified as being vulnerable to wagering beyond their means. For a betting site to be marketing to such players would be considered predatory. Prohibiting such activity would help to ensure that those problem gambling safeguards are not undermined by aggressive promotional or marketing campaigns.

Finally, S3461 would eliminate the option to use a credit card as a payment method to fund online sports wagering. The belief is that making use of a credit card to fund online gambling is too easy to do and therefore increases the likelihood that a player could quickly accumulate significant gambling debt.

All four bills are now being considered by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

New Jersey’s problem gambling bills are the result of recent sports betting scandals

The four bills are coming forward as national attention grows on sports betting following recent betting scandals involving the NBA and NCAA basketball. There is also renewed concern about the impact the rapid expansion of sports betting across the USA is having on the general public.

This is a significant and apparently coordinated effort to ensure protection is in place for New Jersey gamblers.

These gambling consumer protections would also include the requirement that all operators implement rigid Know Your Customer (KYC) regulatory practices. That would include the establishment of a permanent position of dedicated responsible gambling lead on the staff of every New Jersey sportsbook.

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