New Jersey Online Casinos Excel at Consumer Protection

New Jersey’s online gambling consumer protection measures have been receiving applause recently, due to the fact that they have surpassed the consumer protection of land-based casinos in the Garden State.

Since online gambling was legalized in New Jersey in 2013, the state has taken painstaking measures to ensure that consumers remain protected. As a new industry out to prove itself, this was especially important to iGaming supporters. Thus their consumer protection measures included blocking underage gambling, out-of-state gambling and preventing casinos from sending marketing material to residents who choose to self-exclude themselves.

In some instances, when marketing ethics were breached, the online casinos paid heavily. For example, in November 2014, Caesars Interactive was slapped with a $10,000 fine because the casino sent marketing materials to 250 self-excluded New Jersey residents.

No Underage Gambling

Despite the marketing breach, there have been zero documented cases of underage gambling, out-of-state gambling and self-excluded players gaining access to gambling sites in New Jersey. On the other hand, since online gambling was established, New Jersey’s land-based casinos have seen three cases of underaged gambling or drinking and two cases of self-excluded gamblers being allowed to gamble.

Adelson’s Weak Argument

Sheldon Adelson, the notorious casino magnate and anti-online gambling lobbyist, has claimed that online casinos are unable to offer adequate consumer protection; however, New Jersey’s track record shows the exact opposite. It shows that whereas land-based casinos have time and time again experienced breaches in security and consumer protection, the same thing has not happened once in the two years that online gambling was established in New Jersey.

(Coincidentally, Adelson’s Sands Bethlehem casino was fined $36,000 in 2016 for three instances of underage gambling - that’s three instances in less than one month.)

New Jersey’s success at protecting its consumers is encouraging to other states that are considering legalizing online gambling, and it is also a reality check for naysayers who think that the industry cannot be regulated.