Bill would let A.C. casinos offer Net bets
- January 20, 2001 - 9:07 AM
Two legislators seek regulation
By JOE WEINERT
Staff Writer, (609) 272-7221
Two state assemblymen, trying to put New Jersey at the forefront of Internet gambling in the United States, have introduced a bill that would allow Atlantic City casinos to open online slot machines and table games.
Entering waters that are legally murky at the federal level, Assemblymen Anthony Impreveduto, D-Hudson, and Neil Cohen, D-Union, said they want to take an activity that’s essentially banned from the United States and make it “safe, legal and legitimate.”
“Right now Internet gambling is sort of the wild wild West. No regulations, no rules. It can do whatever it wants,” Impreveduto said.
“People in New Jersey can access any gambling site offshore — there are currently none in America — and we need to regulate and license them in order to offer a safe haven for those who choose to gamble in their own homes,” he said.
The casinos’ response?
Thanks, but no thanks.
“We’ve talked about Internet gambling. We talked about it at our last meeting. I think we’re all opposed to any form of Internet gambling because it’s something that cannot be regulated,” said Timothy Wilmott, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey.
“It’s really something we don’t see fitting into our form of entertainment,” he said.
Donald Trump, though, was more receptive.
“I think it’s very good. It’s a very complex subject that has to be dealt with at the federal level, but it’s very possible that it could be good for the casino industry,” said Trump, whose company owns three Atlantic City casinos.
Impreveduto and Cohen said no casino interests asked them to draft the bill.
A Nevada assemblywoman, Merle Berman, R-Las Vegas, plans to introduce a similar bill this year that would allow Nevada casinos to offer online gambling.
Impreveduto and Cohen introduced their bill, A3150, late Thursday. It would amend the 1977 Casino Control Act, allowing the Casino Control Commission to permit licensed casinos to establish a “virtual casino.”
A casino would be limited to offering the same games online that it offers in its physical facility. The entire online gambling operation would have to be located on its premises.
Virtual casinos would be subject to the same taxes and regulations they are now, as overseen by the casino commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
The bill includes provisions for the unique aspects of online gambling, including wagering accounts, proof of legal gambling age (21), voluntary loss limits or suspensions to assist problem gamblers, and various internal controls.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of online gambling regulation is the ability to keep minors from playing. The Impreveduto-Cohen bill would have the casino commission establish “what types of proof are sufficient to authenticate age.”
“We have some serious concerns about preventing underage gamers and having the necessary controls in place to make sure the operation is run with integrity,” said Wilmott, who is Eastern Division president of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.
DGE officials had yet to review the bill and had no comment, a spokeswoman said. DGE Director J.P. Suarez in the past has spoken against online gambling. |
