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A1822
ASSEMBLY, No. 1822
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)
Assemblywoman LUANNE M. PETERPAUL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Stanley, Calabrese, Assemblywoman Donlon,
Assemblyman Sampson and Assemblywoman Pintor Marin
SYNOPSIS
���� Revises penalty for underage gambling to be civil
penalty; provides for all associated fines to be used for gambling addiction
treatment.
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 paid into the General Fund for
appropriation by the Legislature to the Department of Human Services for
prevention and education and treatment programs for compulsive gambling that
meet the criteria developed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.229
(C.26:2-169), such as those provided by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of
New Jersey.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.276, s.8)
���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
���� Under current law, anyone who
gambles at a casino or simulcasting facility while under the legal age 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 each of 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 used for prevention, education,
and treatment programs for compulsive gambling, such as those provided by the
Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.