New Jersey Assembly to vote on bill to allow mobile gambling devices

Atlantic City casino hotels would be able to issue mobile gambling devices to patrons under the proposal. Gamblers would then be able to play the electronic games anywhere in the hotel, such as by the pool, but excluding parking areas.

Only two people voiced concern before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on the bill, which has received bipartisan support, according to an audio recording of the hearing.

Two members of the Casino Revenue Fund Advisory Commission said they were concerned about the precipitous decline in gambling revenue and the impact it has on the social programs that depend on the casino tax. In recent years, casino contributions to social programs have shrunk to half the $500 million that existed in 2005, commissioners said.

Legislators said they were looking to pass laws that are business-friendly to allow the casino industry to rebound from its financial slump in recent years. “We have to monitor it to see if it works,” committee Chairman John Burzichelli, D-Salem, Gloucester, Cumberland, said of the proposed legislation.

He also said he believed the devices would help business, but only as an amenity to hotel patrons. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big driver,” Burzichelli said.

The bill came as a result of a mobile gambling device maker approaching legislators rather than from a specific Atlantic City casino looking to install the device, according to state Senator Jim Whelan. He heads the state Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee, which approved an identical bill earlier this year. “It’s another option they would have,” Whelan said of the casinos. “Eventually they would all take advantage of this.”

Similar devices have been available in Nevada for at least two years with some success, according to Dave Schwartz, head of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Center for Gaming Research.

In Nevada, two kinds exist - one can be used only on a resort property, while the other allows an application to be downloaded onto a smartphone and can be played anywhere in the state, Schwartz said. Atlantic City’s proposal would limit use of the device to the grounds of approved casino resorts.

Schwartz said the devices being used in Nevada lend themselves to sports betting, adding the applications allow gamblers to place bets as games are unfolding. For instance, gamblers can bet on whether a free throw goes in during a basketball game.

Sports betting is legal in Nevada but illegal in Atlantic City due to a conflict with a federal law, which is now being litigated in court. Still, with the popularity of mobile devices, Atlantic City would be well served to allow mobile gaming, officials said. “They’re trying to modernize the industry and stay ahead,” Schwartz said.