New Jersey lawmakers want to decriminalize underage gambling

Underage gambling is a criminal offense in the state of New Jersey, meaning that the blame has been bizarrely put on the individuals engaging in it, more so than the establishments that have allowed it to happen in the first place.

New Jersey lawmakers seek to decriminalize underage gambling

However, at least part of this may be changing, as New Jersey lawmakers are proposing that anyone caught gambling under the legal age, which is 21, get away with a fine and face civil proceedings rather be designated a criminal – under the current status.

The bill, originally introduced earlier this year by Senator Vincent J. Polistina, seeks to overturn a dated and unnecessarily harsh practice.

Fines would also be applied to any entities or persons that may have assisted underage individuals in entering a gambling venue. The lawmakers' bill seeks to impose fines of $500 for first-time offenders, $1,000 for a second offense, and $2,000 for subsequent offenses.

Although the penalties do not seem high, they ought to be a sufficient deterrent for underage individuals who would generally be loath to pay such sums in fines.

In the meantime, the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey has been seeking to educate individuals about the dangers of gambling, and prevent gambling-related harm, and will benefit from any money raised through fines.

Assemblyman Don Guardian has commented on the new proposal and argued that he generally subscribed to a more hardline stance. However, one thing that swayed him in favor of the new measure is the fact that any money obtained from fining underage individuals this way would go directly to aiding various programs related to problem gambling, harm-minimization, and education.

Funding gambling harm prevention and education

The bill that seeks to decriminalize underage gambling in New Jersey would get a full Assembly vote after all, and it will have to stand scrutiny in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, before it can be submitted to the desk of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who will then deliberate on it.

The idea of decriminalizing underage gambling is still a long way off, of course. In places such as New South Wales, Australia, the regulator actually fines underage individuals who enter gambling establishments but does not designate them criminals.

However, in rare cases of repeat offenders, individuals may be sent to prison for up to 12 months.

In a statement submitted to the Assembly panel discussing the New Jersey measure, lawmakers urged that the expansion of gambling would necessitate broader measures designed to raise education and harm prevention.

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