New Jersey Senate committee advances underage gambling fines bill

New Jersey's Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-0 on Thursday to advance S597, a bill that would replace criminal penalties for underage gambling with civil fines. The measure now goes to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The committee vote moves the proposal further through the legislative process, but it has not become law.

Under the proposal, the civil penalty for a first violation would be approximately $500. A second violation would carry a penalty of $1,000 or less, and any further violation a maximum of $2,000. The penalties would apply to anyone under the legal gambling age of 21 who gambles in a casino or at a simulcast location, and to a person who permits anyone under 21 in their lawful custody to gamble. Licensees and their staff who allow such gambling would be subject to the identical proposed schedule of fines. The change would make the covered activity a civil matter instead of a disorderly persons offence.

Money collected through the fines would fund prevention, education and treatment services for compulsive gambling. Such programmes could include those run by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, the Senate Republican office said in its announcement.

James Beach and Vince Polistina serve as the bill's primary sponsors, with Kristin Corrado, Shirley Turner and John McKeon listed as co-sponsors. Coverage in The Press of Atlantic City described the measure as having moved ahead with backing from both parties.

Polistina, a Republican from Atlantic, said youths are now exposed to gambling much more often than before, citing sports programmes on TV, advertising and social media. He said underage gambling should not be promoted and casinos should act according to the law, but that labelling a young person's misconduct as a criminal activity is an overly severe penalty. Polistina added that the bill would maintain accountability through financial penalties, higher fines for repeat offenders, and use of the money collected to educate and treat gambling addiction.

According to the Legislature's bill page, S597 was introduced on January 13 and initially went to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee before being transferred to the Judiciary Committee on September 28. Following Thursday's vote, it was referred to the budget committee. The proposal mirrors legislation debated and given preliminary approval last year but never enacted, according to the Press of Atlantic City; the Legislature's bill page identifies those earlier measures as S3972 and A5086. The Office of Legislative Services has certified S597 for a fiscal note.