New Jersey Responsible Gambling Report Promotes Education, Guardrails

A report by Rutgers University in 2023 that concluded that New Jerseyans have a higher risk of becoming compulsive gamblers than the national average led Gov. Phil Murphy to launch a Responsible Gambling Task Force in June 2024.

Now, nearly a year later, the task force has issued its comprehensive 109-page report.

“New Jersey has long been a leader in the gaming industry, and with that leadership comes the responsibility to ensure the well-being of our residents,” said Murphy. “I appreciate the Task Force’s efforts to create a safer and more supportive gaming environment, particularly for our most vulnerable communities.”

Among the recommendations:

• Follow Virginia’s lead in adding gambling to high school educational programs that already provide information about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse;
• Create a New Jersey Unified Responsible Gaming Evaluation Board (“URGE
  Board”) that will study responsible gambling topics and then make recommendations to the state legislature about potential new laws to protect the public;
• Require all gambling advertisements to prominently include a message warning of the potentially addictive nature of betting;
• Produce an annual study on the impact of gambling that will expand to include daily fantasy sports;
• Create a website that will make it easier for problem gamblers to self-exclude from wagering across all gambling platforms.

“The integration of gambling education could help demystify the concept of gambling, making students aware of the psychological and financial risks involved,” the report reads. “This would not only reduce the likelihood of underage gambling but also raise awareness about behaviors that could lead to [problem gambling] in adulthood. Educational programming should also address financial literacy, at-risk behaviors, and positive play.”

21 across the board?

Also recommended by the task force was the addition of information in all advertising that clearly states the age minimum for that activity. Those 18 and older in New Jersey can bet on a horse race, buy a lottery ticket, join a daily fantasy sports league, or play bingo — but they have to be at least 21 to gamble in a casino or to place a sports bet.

An alternative proposal to simply create a uniform standard of an age 21 minimum for all forms of gambling is worth exploring, the task force reported. However, it noted that prominent U.S. gaming industry lobbyist Bill Pascrell III warned that such a change may merely send 18- to 20-year-olds who wish to gamble onto illegal or unregulated websites instead.

The sharing of self-exclusion lists across state lines, such as to Pennsylvania or New York, is an idea that the task force recommended considering as well — while also recognizing “legal and regulatory differences between states; data privacy; security risks; and the operational challenges of ensuring consistent enforcement.”

Overall, the report is a cornucopia of gambling facts both in New Jersey and across the U.S. Among them:

• Nearly three out of four adult New Jerseyans say they have participated in some form of gambling;
• The only two counties to vote in favor of a 1974 statewide referendum on allowing casinos anywhere in New Jersey were Atlantic and Hudson, while only five of 21 counties voted against the successful 1976 followup ballot question on whether to legalize casinos only in Atlantic City;
• The number of state residents who signed up for gambling self-exclusion lists more than doubled from 2021 (more than 13,000) to 2024 (more than 31,000);
• Pari-mutuel wagering on horse races in New Jersey was approved by voters in 1939, and currently 45 states allow the placing of such bets — the exceptions being Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Georgia, and South Carolina;
• In 1969, New Jersey became the third state — following New Hampshire in 1964 and New York in 1966 — to establish a modern lottery;
• All but five states set the minimum age to buy a lottery ticket at 18 — the exceptions being age 19 in Nebraska and age 21 in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi;
• There are 14 authorized daily fantasy sports operators in New Jersey.