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The state of New Jersey is advancing in their proposal to allow their citizens to join the few other states in wagering bets online in a controlled environment. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is set to publish a draft of proposed online gambling regulations on the 3rd June. Following the publication of the proposals in the New Jersey Register, they will then be opened up for public scrutiny for a period of 60 days.
Prior to the official publication next month, the draft regulations are already available to view on the Division’s website, receiving praise from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) for benefiting potential players. Positive elements from the player’s perspective include multiple options for making a deposit, such as through credit and debit cards, money orders, checks and in person at an Atlantic City casino establishment.
“There are a few things we’ll probably look into in the general comment period,” said the PPA Executive Director, John Pappas, “but overall the regulations seem pretty fair.”
The PPA have already flagged up two concerns with the regulations, including the forfeiture of any funds in dormant player accounts and the complex login procedures. According to the proposals, players will be required to verify their identify through an elaborate process. Every time a payer logs in to an online gambling site, they will have to authenticate their account through a password, PIN and two or more questions. In addition to this, the proposals stipulate that an account that has experienced no activity for a year will be considered dormant and any money will be forfeited in the process.
Pappas commented: “The PPA would like to see some clarification of that standard. 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.”
With the publication of the draft proposals, New Jersey is advancing in its efforts to become the first state to introduce full internet gambling regulations. “New Jersey has once again proven to be in the forefront of casino gaming with development of internet wagering regulations for all casino games,” stated the Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, David Rebuck. “I commend Division staff for their commitment and diligence to developing regulations that ensure both effective oversight and the integrity of operations.”
According to an article on poker.co.uk, “New Jersey is now the third state in the US to change legislation to legalise online gambling along with Nevada and Delaware. Both states already selected their main vendors to supply citizens with online poker, with Nevada and Delaware clearly ahead in the race to get the online gambling industry on track.” The regulation draft would allow New Jersey to partner with these states and others that legalise online gambling in the future to increase the size of player pools.
The final adoption process will take place after the Division of Gaming Enforcement has reviewed and responded to all comments made once the public comment period ends on 2nd August.
