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A1817
ASSEMBLY, No. 1817
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Quijano
SYNOPSIS
���� Changes underage gambling from disorderly persons
offense to civil penalty; provides for deposit of all associated fines to local
public safety funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning the penalties for underage gambling and
amending P.L.1977, c.110.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� Section 119 of P.L.1977,
c.110 (C.5:12-119) is amended to read as follows:
���� 119.� Gaming by Certain
Persons Prohibited; Penalties; Defenses.
���� a.���� A person under the age
at which a person is authorized to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages
shall not enter, or wager in, a licensed casino or simulcasting facility;
provided, however, that the person may enter a casino or simulcasting facility
by way of passage to another room, and provided further, however, that any�
person licensed or registered under the provisions of the "Casino Control
Act," P.L.1977, c.110 (C.5:12-1 et seq.), may enter a casino or
simulcasting facility in the regular course of the person's permitted
activities.
���� Any person who violates this
subsection shall be
[
guilty
of a disorderly persons offense and shall be fined not less than $500 and not
more than $1,000
]
liable to a civil penalty of up to $500 for the first offense, up to $1,000
for the second offense, and up to $2,000 for the third offense and any offense
thereafter, which shall be collected by the commissioner in a summary
proceeding before a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to the �Penalty
Enforcement Law of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.)
.
���� b.��� Any licensee or employee
of a casino who allows a person under the age at which a person is authorized
to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages to remain in or wager in a casino
or simulcasting facility
[
is
guilty of a disorderly persons offense
]
shall be liable to the same civil penalty established pursuant to subsection
a. of this section
; except that the establishment of all of the following
facts by a licensee or employee allowing any underage person to remain shall
constitute a defense to any
[
prosecution
]
proceeding
therefor:
���� (1)�� That the underage person
falsely represented in writing that he or she was at or over the age at which a
person is authorized to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages;
���� (2)�� That the appearance of
the underage person was such that an ordinary prudent person would believe him
or her to be at or over the age at which a person is authorized to purchase and
consume alcoholic beverages; and
���� (3)�� That the admission was
made in good faith, relying upon such written representation and appearance,
and in the reasonable belief that the underage person was actually at or over
the age at which a person is authorized to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages.
���� c.���� A person who knowingly
allows or permits another person who is under his or her lawful care, custody,
or control and who is under the age at which a person is authorized to purchase
and consume alcoholic beverages to wager or attempt to wager in a licensed
casino or simulcasting facility in violation of subsection a. of this section
[
is guilty of a
disorderly persons offense
]
shall be liable to the same civil penalty established pursuant to subsection
a. of this section
.
����
d.��� All penalties
assessed under this section shall be distributed to the city of Atlantic City
for deposit into a dedicated public safety services trust fund.� Amounts
deposited in the trust fund shall be used by the city solely and exclusively to
fund appropriations for public safety services.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.276, s.8)
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� Under current law, anyone who
gambles while under the legal of 21 is guilty of a disorderly persons offense.�
A person who allows someone under the age of 21 to gamble, while they are in
that person�s legal care or custody, is also guilty of a disorderly persons
offense.� A licensee or employee of a casino who allows someone under the age
of 21 to gamble is guilty of a disorderly persons offense as well.
���� This bill changes the
penalties for these actions from that of a disorderly persons offense, which is
of a criminal nature, to instead be a civil fine of up to $500 for the first
offense, up to $1,000 for the second offense, and up to $2,000 for any offense
thereafter.� The fines collected will be distributed to Atlantic City for the
sole use of public safety services.