NJ Problem Gambling Task Force Issues Policy Recommendations

About 10 months after it was formed, a New Jersey task force established to provide policy recommendations on problem gambling has released its findings.

The 109-page report was made public by the office of Gov. Phil Murphy on April 21, 2025.

With gambling addiction growing in the US and in New Jersey, which legalized online betting on sports and casino games, state officials are looking to strengthen efforts to help a great many gamblers suffering financial hardship.

Studies show that 30-40% of online sports bettors experience problems.

From 2021 to 2024, New Jersey saw a nearly 300% increase in the number of people self-excluding from online gambling.

The online gambling industry generates the majority of its revenue from problem gamblers, and the report stated that New Jersey is already doing a world-class job addressing problem gambling. However, much more could be done, according to the task force’s findings.

Who was on the NJ gambling task force?

Members of the task force consisted of seven government representatives or their designees:

• The Attorney General (Chair of the task force)
• The Chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission
• The Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
• The Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
• The Director of the Division of State Lottery
• The Executive Director of the New Jersey Racing Commission
• The Commissioner of the Department of Human Services

The task force recommended the establishment of a New Jersey Unified Responsible Gaming Evaluation Board (“URGE Board”), composed of the members of the task force.

“The purpose of the URGE Board would be to consider and study RG matters of mutual interest, make recommendations to the Legislature, determine regulatory reforms, and set RG policies that warrant funding,” the report said.

Policy recommendations

The NJ problem gambling task force didn’t advocate for some of the stronger reforms, such as 24-hour deposit limits and robust restrictions on betting ads, which have been considered in states like Massachusetts, New York and Minnesota, but it did call for some changes.

“After a thorough review of existing RG efforts in New Jersey and across the globe, the task force submits this report […] with the suggested recommendations for needed changes to standardize and streamline RG initiatives, provide and implement prevention and education programs, make tools and treatment more accessible, and to strategically utilize existing funding and require funding contributions from each gaming industry. These recommendations will allow New Jersey to expand RG and PG innovations and actions,” the report concluded.

Specifically, the task force suggested the following actions or initiatives:

• Additional annual gambling studies
• Centralized state responsible gambling website
• Standardization of responsible gambling tools
• Standardization of advertising rules across all forms of gambling
• Strengthen know-your-customer (KYC) requirements
• Universal self-exclusion list
• Multi-jurisdictional self-exclusion
• Counseling sessions for self-exclusion removal
• Third-party exclusions
• Uniform legal gambling age
• Enhance enforcement of illegal gambling websites
• Responsible gambling education for youth (similar to Maryland)
• Increase funding for problem gambling services

While far less aggressive than provisions in the federal SAFE Bet Act, which specifically addresses sports gambling addiction, there are some relatively bold recommendations from the New Jersey task force. 

For example, the SAFE Bet Act calls for a national self-exclusion list for sports gambling. New Jersey officials are also interested in legislation to make it easier for people to self-exclude themselves from gambling in more than one state, increasing the effectiveness of self-exclusion.

What’s next for NJ problem gambling?

New Jersey’s 2025 legislative calendar was nearing the halfway mark when the report was released, so some of the policy recommendations should appear in legislative proposals over the coming months and into 2026.

Already in 2025, New Jersey lawmakers considered many bills that overlap with some of the task force’s recommendations. However, some proposals on the table in Trenton seek much stricter controls on the gambling industry.

• Bill A5562: Requires Division of Gaming Enforcement to arrange study and implement certain language requirements in gambling advertisements; restricts advertisements and promotions in certain locations.
• Bill S4282: Prohibits sweepstakes model of wagering; establishes new penalties for unlawful gambling operations and practices; directs Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties.
• Bill A5363: Establishes public awareness campaign concerning risks of gambling and resources available to compulsive gamblers; appropriates $200,000.
• Bill A5347: Requires sports wagering advertisements and applications to include a warning of the risks of gambling.
• Bill A5359: Establishes annual fee for sports wagering licensees; directs funds from such fees to Council on Compulsive Gambling and gambling addiction treatment programs.
• Bill A5086: Revises penalty for underage gambling to be civil penalty; provides for all associated fines to be used for gambling addiction treatment.
• Bill A5249: Prohibits sports wagering advertisements on television broadcasts
• Bill A5207: Prohibits online advertisements for sports wagering
• Bill A5197: Raises the age for purchase of lottery tickets and wagering on horse racing from 18 to 21.
• Bill A4905: Prohibits sports wagering licensees from offering player-specific proposition bets on college sports.

While it’s unclear which ideas will eventually become law, NJ problem gambling is clearly becoming more of a focus for policymakers. It’s only a matter of time before there is more collaboration between various state agencies that oversee gambling in the Garden State.