New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force Recommends Ads Come With Warnings

Posted on: April 22, 2025, 08:25h. 

Last updated on: April 22, 2025, 08:58h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • The New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force has issued its recommendations
  • The task force thinks gambling ads should come with addiction warnings
  • Smoke-free advocates are upset that smoking wasn’t recommended to be extinguished in Atlantic City casinos

The New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force has outlined a comprehensive strategy to address problem gambling and promote responsible play across the Garden State’s many forms of legal gambling.

New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force
The Atlantic City Boardwalk is seen in 2024. The New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force has unveiled a series of recommendations on how the state can better protect consumers from gambling harms. (Image: USA Today Network)

Authorized through Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) 2024 Executive Order No. 360, the NJ Responsible Gaming Task Force was assigned to provide advice and recommendations to the governor and attorney general’s offices on how reforms could enhance responsible gaming programs and safeguards while mitigating the societal risks of gambling. The task force’s 109-page report, made public on Monday, recommends a series of overhauls.

New Jersey has long been a leader in the gaming industry, and with that leadership comes the responsibility to ensure the well-being of our residents,” said Murphy. “I appreciate the task force’s efforts to create a safer and more supportive gaming environment, particularly for our most vulnerable communities.”

The task force consisted of seven members, with Attorney General Matt Platkin as chair. The six other task force members were Casino Control Commission Chairman James Plousis, Division of Gaming Enforcement Interim Director Mary Jo Flaherty, Consumer Affairs Director Cari Fais, Racing Commission Acting Executive Director Sara Ben-David, State Lottery Executive Director James Carey Jr., and Human Services Assistant Commissioner Renee Burawski.

Task Force Findings

After months of review, the New Jersey Responsible Gaming Task Force reported back to Murphy with a slew of proposals on how the state can improve when it comes to battling gambling harms.

Among the suggestions is that New Jersey requires all gambling advertisements come with messaging that warns consumers that the products can be addictive. “To prevent ‘message fatigue’ where repeated exposure to the same warning reduces its effectiveness, the rules should allow for multiple variations of these messages,” the task force wrote.

The task force said the state should also consider restricting the number, location, and frequency of gambling advertisements. However, the task force said the state must consider the First Amendment in determining if such a policy is legal.

The study also concluded that all gambling ads should clearly promote the minimum age to participate — 21 for Atlantic City, iGaming, and sports betting, and 18 for the lottery, fantasy sports, bingo, and parimutuel wagering.

The task force says there could be merits to making all forms of gambling 21 and up.

“The differences in age requirements across the forms of gaming creates a fragmented regulatory framework where younger individuals are exposed to gaming activities that could normalize risky behaviors and potentially lead to future gambling problems,” the report read. However, it continued, “At this time, the task force recommends further evaluation of the benefits and drawbacks of imposing a uniform gambling age of 21.”

Elementary Education

The task force thinks it would be wise for public schools to educate younger people, including those in elementary school, about the dangers of gambling. The panel said responsible gaming education beginning in elementary school should be standard, with identified adolescent gamblers required to complete educational programs.

Standardizing coverage for gambling addiction and making services more accessible is another recommendation.

“This includes a recommendation for statutory changes that would allow licensees of the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee to treat problem gambling without a co-occurring disorder,” the report explained.

Smoking Left Out

Opponents to the ongoing allowance of indoor casino smoking in Atlantic City took issue with the matter not being considered by the task force. Forcing gamblers who smoke to pause to go outside to light up, smoke-free advocates say, is a responsible gaming safeguard the state could implement. It would also protect workers and nonsmokers from toxic secondhand smoke.

Buried in a footnote of the report is a quiet admission that smoking and problem gambling go hand-in-hand, but the governor completely sidesteps the issue in his recommendations to address it. This is what hypocrisy looks like,” said Pete Naccarelli, a longtime table game dealer in Atlantic City who co-founded Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects.

“You can’t claim to care about responsible gaming while turning a blind eye to the toxic environment that pushes the people most at risk of gambling addiction to gamble longer and puts workers’ lives at risk. If New Jersey is truly serious about responsible gaming, it’s time to stop dancing around this issue and finally end indoor smoking in casinos,” Naccarelli added.