Renowned New Jersey Regulator Swears He Is (Mostly) Retired

David Rebuck’s experience last week was a humorous cautionary tale for prominent people regarding social media.

It was then that Rebuck, who stepped down from his post as director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement earlier this year, belatedly realized that he had never bothered to update his LinkedIn biography. So instead of him still being listed in that role, he updated the information to note that he now has his own limited liability company (LLC) consulting business.

That prompted a notification to Rebuck’s LinkedIn connections — and led to a mention of the switch by longtime gaming industry analyst Steve Ruddock in the Sept. 11 edition of Ruddock’s well-read industry newsletter Straight to the Point.

“All of a sudden, I got about 100 pings in just a couple of days as a result,” Rebuck told Casino Reports with a chuckle while traveling home from a round of golf on Friday.

In Ruddock’s note, there also was a comment from another veteran gaming analyst, Chris Grove — who, along with Ruddock, Rebuck said he has known for about a dozen years — suggesting that Rebuck “can’t possibly charge too much.”

That would be because in his 13 years as the top regulator in New Jersey, Rebuck drew national attention for overseeing the launch of regulated online casino gaming in the state in 2013 as well as sports betting in 2018. The latter came just one month after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Garden State in its protracted battle against the NFL and four other major sports organizations.

The Court found in Murphy v NCAA that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 unconstitutionally commandeered states — even unwilling ones — to maintain Congress’ ban that specifically excluded Nevada from scrutiny.

New Jersey also was the first state to regulate a competitive landscape for online casino gaming — an amenity that 43 states have yet to legalize, 11 years later.

Still, Rebuck said that in truth, so far he currently has only one client — the American Gaming Association — plus a few modest pro bono assistance ventures.

State law in New Jersey prevents Rebuck from taking a job with any operator he oversaw in his role as NJDGE director for at least four years.

That doesn’t bother Rebuck, who said he is about to turn age 72 and who insists he is (mostly) retired.

“But if anyone wants to check in with me, of course we can have a conversation,” added Rebuck, whose service in state government began in 1988 as a deputy attorney general.

Just be aware, it is fairly likely these days that Rebuck will be on a golf course if you try to check in with him during business hours.