New Jersey seeking to boost responsible gambling measures amid record online revenues

New Jersey’s booming online gambling market has set another record, with operators pulling in $248 million in August alone. As revenues climb, state regulators say the time has come to impose mandatory safeguards to protect people who may be sliding into problem gambling.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement has proposed regulations that would, for the first time, require online operators to follow uniform responsible gambling practices. Until now, many of these tools, such as spending caps or self-exclusion options, were available at a company’s discretion.

Under the proposal, each operator must designate an official responsible for identifying risky behavior and maintaining a list of at-risk gamblers. Those on the list would be shielded from promotional marketing and could only be removed after six months without displaying concerning activity.

The rules establish a system of 12 “triggers” that gambling companies must monitor, ranging from frequent changes to responsible gaming limits, to multiple requests for cooling-off periods, or even repeated visits to the self-exclusion page without completing the process.

Interventions would follow a stepped process. The first requires companies to send an informational email outlining available tools, such as deposit limits and self-exclusion. The second obligates customers to watch an educational video before they can continue wagering.

In the third, operators must speak directly with the customer by phone or video, provide contact details for a responsible gambling professional, and, in some cases, refer the individual to medical or law enforcement authorities. Accounts can be suspended if operators cannot reach the customer after three attempts, and ultimately closed if a gambling problem is confirmed.

Luis Del Orbe, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, said the group supports the overall goals of the rules but raised concerns about unintended effects. “Because of these regulations and how they put the person ‘under the eye,’ so to speak, will that push people into illegal, unregulated gambling?” he asked, as per an Associated Press report.

“The provider is made to intervene when they believe there is a problem, and we believe they should. A bartender can cut someone off when they believe they’ve had one too many," Del Orbe added.

Privacy is another concern, he added. “It involves digging into people’s accounts. We want to see how they roll this out and enforce it. This really is a public health issue," he stated.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement noted that since internet gambling launched in 2013, and especially after online sports wagering was introduced in 2018, the state has seen more cases of gambling-related harm. The agency is accepting public comments on the new rules through November 14.

At the same time, the state announced a financial support service for residents facing gambling-related money problems. Called GamFin, the program offers confidential one-on-one sessions with certified financial counselors to help participants manage debt, build budgets, and work toward stability.