US Lawmaker Wants Greater Protection for Players at New Jersey Casinos

A pair of bills have been filed by Senator John McKeon, a Democrat, who is sponsoring both S3062 and S3063 and seeks to address what the legislator sees as a gaping deficit in the protection of consumers at land-based venues in New Jersey.

New Bills Seek to Protect Consumers in Land-Based New Jersey Casinos

This comes shortly after a legal drama with BetMGM, with the company facing allegations of accepting money from a gambling addict without running the necessary screening processes, and effectively enabling their gambling addiction. The man was using stolen funds and gambled online. The court has so far sided with BetMGM.

Senator McKeon, who filed the bills early in April, outlined a multi-pronged approach in his draft laws. For one, he is using S3062 to prohibit casinos from offering non-wagering casino games that seek to engage with consumers and elicit immediate or continued participation in various games of chance from them.

S3062 also wants to restrict marketing ploys that seek to solicit future participation in wagering activities, citing verbatim from the law’s draft. Senator McKeon is also careful not to miss what his bill seeks to achieve, explaining that such games do not require a monetary investment on the part of consumers, but are still accessible and simulate real money wagering, nevertheless, using similar odds and logic.

The senator worries that because of their status as non-gambling products, these apps may influence vulnerable and at-risk groups, such as underage individuals or younger people who may be drawn to the simulation of gambling before trying real money gambling as well.

Remove the False Pretense and Incentives

S3063 on the other hand seeks to put the onus heavily on casinos to screen gamblers and ensure that no person who is on a self-exclusion list or recovering from problem gambling is allowed to gamble on their gaming floors.

The term used by the bill calls such practices “reckless indifference or intentional misconduct,” which means that Senator McKeon expects his proposal to hold casinos accountable both in cases where they intentionally targeted such vulnerable consumers or simply did not have sufficient safeguards in place.

The case of Sam. A Antar comes into play here, as Antar is a recovering gambling addict who went to prison over misusing client money to gamble at BetMGM properties. Labelled a “fraudster,” he is also on a self-exclusion list, which means that he should not be approached with solicitation to participate in gambling.

Yet. Shortly after Antar’s prison term ended, he was targeted by a BetMGM online casino bonus, he explained in his lawsuit that has now been dismissed but which Antar and his attorney, Matthew Litt, are preparing to have appealed and potentially revived. Although his case mostly pertains to online gambling, it’s not too far from the pair of bills, which could also be expanded to Internet gambling if Senator McKeon’s efforts crown with success.

Ensuring that self-excluded gamblers are fully protected and that vulnerable consumers are screened early, is proving a tall order in the state. The bills, although focusing on land-based gambling, are possibly going to serve as the basis for tightening consumer protection measures across the entire industry. In the meantime, a separate law is looking to greatly reduce the number of sports betting ads nationally.