S2365

An Act establishing the Unified Responsible Gambling Evaluation Board and supplementing Title 5 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Law and Public Safety, the New Jersey Unified Responsible Gambling Evaluation Board. The board shall review and assess current gambling practices in the State, recommend reforms to support responsible gambling and address problem gambling, and provide resources to the general public regarding problem gambling.

b. The board shall consist of seven members:

the Attorney General, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio and who shall also serve as chair of the board;

the chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

the director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

the director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

the director of the Division of State Lottery, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

the executive director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio; and

the commissioner of the Department of Human Services, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio.

The Chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the commission.

c. The members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the board for its purposes.

d. The board, at a minimum, shall:

(1) study the rate of persons gambling in this State, the methods of placing wagers, including in-person retail and online wagering, the types of gambling most frequently engaged in, rates of underage or otherwise illegal gambling, and the prevalence of problem gambling;

(2) review existing responsible gambling practices being implemented by casinos, sportsbooks, racetracks, the State Lottery, and other gambling operators, and those required or supported by the State;

(3) assess the effectiveness of current responsible gambling practices, and gambling education, treatment, and prevention programs;

(4) identify trends in gambling, including new methods of social gambling which may disproportionately affect young people, and how other states may be responding to such trends; and

(5) compile information and resources available through various different government entities and sites, and through the private sector.

e. The board shall have the authority to call upon any department, office, division, agency, or instrumentality of this State for information or other assistance as the board determines to be necessary to accomplish the board’s duties. The board may additionally consult with experts, representatives of regulated entities, or other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector with regard to any aspect of the board’s duties.

f. The board shall submit annually to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report detailing the activities of the board and the board’s findings and recommendations as they relate to gambling in New Jersey.

g. The board shall establish and maintain an Internet website that shall serve as a hub for all State publications and reports related to gambling, and for resources that are available to persons struggling with gambling addiction.

At a minimum, the website shall include:

(1) the board’s annual report required pursuant to subsection f. of this section;

(2) the annual report on the impact of Internet gaming required pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2013, c.27 (C.5:12-95.18);

(3) the annual report on the impact of sports wagering required pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-11);

(4) any other annual report required by law to be completed or submitted to the State by the operator of gambling activities;

(5) a list of gambling addiction education, treatment and prevention programs funded by the State;

(6) information on where and how a person can request placement on the self-exclusion lists established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2002, c.89 (C.5:5-65.1) and section 1 of P.L.2001, c.39 (C.5:12-71.2);

(7) links to the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services website and the Council on Compulsive Gambling website;

(8) research and resources provided by the private sector; and

(9) any other information or resources which the board deems relevant and appropriate to encourage responsible gambling in this State.

h. Any State agency or entity that is responsible for regulating gambling, or for providing services to problem gamblers, shall prominently display a link to the board’s Internet website on their own Internet website.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the New Jersey Unified Responsible Gambling Evaluation Board to review and assess current gambling practices in the State, recommend reforms to support responsible gambling and address problem gambling, and provide resources to the general public regarding problem gambling.

The board, at a minimum, will:

(3) assess the effectiveness of current responsible gambling practices, and gambling education, treatment, and prevention programs;

(4) identify trends in gambling, including new methods of social gambling which may disproportionately affect young people, and how other states may be responding to such trends; and

(5) compile information and resources available through various different government entities and sites, and through the private sector.

The board will also establish and maintain an Internet website that will serve as a hub for all State publications and reports related to gambling, and for resources that are available to persons struggling with gambling addiction. All State agencies and entities will be required to prominently share a link to the board’s Internet website on their own Internet website, in order to promote all the resources and information being collected by the board.