New Jersey: Bill Would Replace Criminal Penalties for Underage Casino Gambling With Civil Fines
- A New Jersey Senate bill, S597, would stop treating underage gambling at casinos as a criminal matter.
- The bill has not been voted on.
- Under the current law, a person under 21 who enters or wagers in a licensed casino or simulcasting facility is guilty of a disorderly persons offense and must be fined between $500 and $1,000.
A New Jersey Senate bill, S597, would stop treating underage gambling at casinos as a criminal matter. Instead of the current disorderly persons offense, people under 21 who unlawfully enter or wager in a licensed casino or simulcasting facility would face civil fines with increasing maximums for repeat violations.
The bill has not been voted on. It was introduced on January 13 and transferred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 28, according to the Legislature’s records. News 12 New Jersey reported on the proposal on September 30.
From a disorderly persons charge to a civil fine
Under the current law, a person under 21 who enters or wagers in a licensed casino or simulcasting facility is guilty of a disorderly persons offense and must be fined between $500 and $1,000. News 12 noted that the offense also leaves a low-level mark on the person’s record.
The law allows certain exceptions, including passage through a casino or simulcasting facility to reach another room, and entry by people licensed or registered under the Casino Control Act who are carrying out their permitted duties.
S597 would replace the disorderly persons penalty with a civil fine on a sliding scale:
| Violation | Proposed civil fine |
|---|---|
| First | Up to $500 |
| Second | Up to $1,000 |
| Third and any after that | Up to $2,000 |
Those figures are ceilings, not set amounts. Today the fine starts at $500. Under the bill, $500 would be the most a first-time violator could be fined, while the cap for a third or later violation would rise to $2,000, double today’s maximum.
Casino staff and adults would be covered too
The same civil fines would apply to casino licensees and employees who allow someone under 21 to stay in or gamble at a casino or simulcasting facility, and to people who knowingly let someone under their lawful care, custody or control wager or try to wager. Under current law, each of those is also a disorderly persons offense.
Licensees and employees would keep the defense they have now, News 12 reported. To use it, they must show all three of the following: the underage person falsely claimed in writing to be of age, the person looked old enough to an ordinarily prudent person, and the person was admitted in good faith.
The money would go to gambling treatment, through the budget
The bill would also change where the fines end up. According to News 12, they would be paid into the state’s General Fund, and the Legislature would then appropriate them to the Department of Human Services for compulsive gambling prevention, education and treatment programs.
Polistina points to betting ads
The bill is sponsored by Sens. James Beach and Vincent Polistina, with Sens. Kristin Corrado, Shirley Turner and John McKeon as co-sponsors.
In a statement quoted by News 12, Polistina argued that the amount of gambling advertising young people now see, from sports broadcasts to social media, should be considered when deciding how to handle these violations. He said underage gambling “should never be encouraged” and that casinos must follow the law, but called a criminal offense “an unnecessarily harsh consequence.” The bill, he said, “keeps penalties in place, increases fines for repeat violations, and directs the money collected toward gambling addiction prevention, education, and treatment.”
Concern about gambling ads is not limited to New Jersey. Florida’s attorney general recently demanded that Google, Meta and TikTok stop running sweepstakes casino ads.
A second try in Trenton
The idea is not new. In the previous session, an earlier version was filed as S3972 and A5086. The Assembly bill cleared a committee in December 2024 and passed the full Assembly 73-1 in January 2025, according to the Legislature’s records. It then went to a Senate committee, where the records show no further action, and it did not become law before that session ended.
This time, neither S597 nor its Assembly companion, A1822, has cleared a committee. To take effect, the bill would need to pass both houses and become law. Until then, underage gambling at New Jersey casinos remains a disorderly persons offense.
Featured image: Bally’s Atlantic City at dusk. Photo: Bruce Emmerling / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
