New Jersey Gaming Authority Proposes Tighter Reporting Rules for Operators

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has shown new rule changes to improve how gambling operators report their activities outside the state. These updates, which just finished a period for public feedback, include tougher rules for license holders to report their gaming operations beyond New Jersey.

DGE Expands Oversight to Global Activities

The new rules would make gambling operators tell the DGE within a week of starting or stopping gaming activities in other places. This rule covers both legal and unregulated gaming markets, which makes operators report much more than before. Also, operators would need to tell the DGE about any legal demands they get from other states or countries within about the same time.

The DGE has come up with the phrase “foreign gaming” in its suggested rules. This covers all gambling that happens outside New Jersey, including other US states, tribal areas, or other countries. The agency says these new rules are to make sure operators stay responsible and follow New Jersey’s tough standards even as they grow their business around the world.

While these changes were being proposed, advocacy groups took the chance to speak up about other issues. Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) and Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights (ANR) asked the DGE to require smoke-free policies in Atlantic City casinos. These groups said such rules would keep workers and customers safe from harmful toxins creating a healthier environment in the gaming industry.

Casino Workers and Advocates Call for Smoke-Free Policies Amid DGE’s Regulatory Focus

Cynthia Hallett, who leads ANR as President and CEO, pointed out the health risks that casino employees and visitors face. She called for smoke-free rules to be part of licensing requirements. CEASE co-founders Nicole Vitola, Pete Naccarelli, and Lamont White agreed stressing the need to protect workers.

Despite these pleas, the DGE said its current focus for regulatory updates stays on reporting and following rules. The proposed changes do not include any rules about smoking in casinos. The agency did not say if it might think about such steps later on.

The suggested updates also make technical tweaks to show the growing reach of New Jersey’s gambling industry, including making sports betting legal at racetracks.

By spreading reporting needs to what operators do in other places, the DGE wants to boost its watch and make sure license holders keep their work honest both in and out of the state. While people still argue about no-smoking rules, the DGE’s main goal right now is to make the gambling sector more accountable and open.