Bill Requires New Jersey Colleges To Supply Responsible Gambling Education

Education on the dangers of compulsive gambling will be mandatory at all universities, colleges, and community colleges in the state if New Jersey Assembly Bill A1715 is signed into law.

The bill, introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Garnet Hall and co-sponsored by 10 other Democrats, requires that all public institutions of higher education invite the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey to make presentations on the institution’s campus.

The bill was given unanimous approval from both chambers of the state legislature. It was passed 77-0 by the State Assembly and 38-0 by the State Senate.

Since the bill passed through the Senate without requiring a single amendment, it now goes directly to the desk of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. If he signs the bill, it would immediately become law.

Bill A1715 makes it mandatory that all institutions of higher learning in the Garden State play host to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) for at least one on-campus session per semester. The CCGNJ is a non-profit organization that operates the national 1-800-GAMBLER hotline. This toll-free number provides access to information and resources about problem gambling.

Areas covered by this organization’s research include information about the potential risks involved with gambling. It also provides access to compulsive gambling counseling services, as well as covering the various methods for controlling a problem gambling issue, such as self-exclusion options.

A change in tack for New Jersey lawmakers

The passage of this bill represents a change in direction for New Jersey lawmakers from the original 2023 plan outlined to deal with problem gambling issues. That blueprint called for the CCGNJ to be working directly with licensed and regulated sports betting sites operating in New Jersey.

The thinking then was that a plan could be implemented by which New Jersey educational institutions would work on problem gambling solutions alongside online sportsbooks, which were partnering with those schools.

However, that solution was scrapped in 2025 when Gov. Murphy passed a law prohibiting partnerships between sports betting sites and schools. That led to the change, which will see the CCGNJ now working directly with the schools.

Plenty of New Jersey gambling laws encompass universities

Passage of this bill into law would add it to the litany of restrictions on schools in New Jersey in relation to gambling.

Already, it’s illegal in New Jersey to place any wagers on games involving in-state schools, or on college games being played anywhere in New Jersey. There are also significant restrictions in place on how gambling sites can advertise and market their product to school-aged people.

Sports betting sites are prohibited by New Jersey law from advertising their product at or within the vicinity of any educational institution in the state. Any type of marketing done by sportsbooks that specifically targets players who would be under the age of 21 is also banned in the Garden State.

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