New Jersey Moving Forward with Online Gambling Regulations
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement will publish a draft of proposed Internet gambling regulations in the New Jersey Register on June 3, opening a 60-day period for public comment.
In advance of the official publication, the draft regulations already are up on the Division's website. Early reviews of the regulations indicate they look good from the players' perspective.
"There are a few things we'll probably look into in the general comment period, but overall the regulations seem pretty fair," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance.
Two concerns of the PPA, according to Pappas, are the login procedure and forfeiture of money on dormant accounts.
The regulations require that players must go through an elaborate process to verify their identities through a PIN, a password, and by answering two or more challenge questions to log in every time.
Regulations also stipulate that a player account with no activity for a year will be considered dormant and any balance will be forfeited.
"The PPA would like to see some clarification of that standard," Pappas said. "The operator should need to make every best faith effort to contact the holder of the account through all various channels. We assume they will have phone numbers, emails as well as physical addresses. It's also unclear where moneys will be forfeited."
The draft regulations include many positive elements for players. Deposits will be easy with many options including credit and debit cards, checks, money orders or even in person at an Atlantic City casino.
All account balances will be kept in a segregated New Jersey bank account. Players who have an issue with unfair treatment by a site will be able to file a complaint with the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Rules allow for New Jersey to partner in the future with other states or countries where Internet gambling is legal, potentially creating a larger player pool.
New Jersey is on its way to becoming the first state to develop regulations for full Internet gambling. The public comment period will end on Aug. 2, with final adoption taking place after the Division of Gaming Enforcement can review and respond to all comments.
"New Jersey has once again proven to be in the forefront of casino gaming with the development of Internet wagering regulations for all casino games," said David Rebuck, director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement. "I commend Division staff for their commitment and diligence to developing regulations that ensure both effective oversight and the integrity of operations."
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