New Jersey senators are seeking to replace criminal penalties for underage gambling at licensed casinos and simulcasting facilities with civil fines of as much as $2,000, while retaining the state’s minimum gambling age of 21.
Senate Bill 597, sponsored by James Beach and Vincent Polistina, would remove the disorderly persons offense for a person under 21 who enters or gambles at a covered venue. News 12 reported that the measure had been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The proposed fines would escalate from up to $500 for a first violation to $1,000 for a second and $2,000 for a third or subsequent violation. Under current law, underage gambling carries a $500 to $1,000 fine and a low-level offense on the person’s record.
The same fine structure would apply to casino licensees and employees who knowingly permit an underage person to remain or gamble at a covered venue. Adults who knowingly allow a person in their lawful care, custody or control to gamble while underage would also face civil penalties.
Casinos would retain a defence where an employee relied in good faith on written proof of age and reasonably believed the customer was at least 21 based on their appearance and documentation. The bill covers simulcasting facilities as well as casinos, with Atlantic City expected to be the principal casino-market location affected.
Money collected through the fines would go first to the state’s General Fund, then be appropriated to the Department of Human Services for compulsive-gambling prevention, education and treatment programmes.
Polistina said the proposal was not intended to excuse underage gambling, arguing that casinos remain responsible for enforcing the law but that a criminal record is unnecessarily harsh for a young person who makes a mistake. He cited the growing presence of gambling in sports broadcasts, advertising, social media and online betting promotion as part of the environment confronting young people.
The bill revives a substantially similar proposal, S3972, that Beach and Polistina introduced in December 2024 but which did not become law before the end of the 2024-25 legislative session. The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey conditionally supported the bill but sought a requirement for problem-gambling education. Luis Del Orbe said fines alone would be insufficient without mandated problem-gambling education.
Kristin Corrado, Shirley Turner and John McKeon are listed as co-sponsors. S597 is pre-filed legislation and has not been enacted; no final vote or scheduled hearing has been identified.
