Perhaps New Jersey and its neighbor New York should approach creating new responsible gaming programs as a team.
With less than a handful of days left in the 2023 New York legislative session, a responsible gambling bill to create a Problem Gambling Advisory Council (PGAC) still awaits its fate as it gets ready to gather dust again.
Passed unanimously June 1 in the state Senate, it hopes for a better fate than its predecessor.
Speaking with Bonus.com, State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. said the Senate did its job, but the companion bill in the New York State Assembly, AB 1056, hasn’t moved since January 13.
Regardless, New Yorkers already have avenues to seek help for problem gambling, according to PlayUSA.
In March, Governor Kathleen C. Hochul issued a statement declaring it Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). During a meeting highlighting her announcement, the governor was flanked by representatives of the New York Responsible Play Partnership (NYRPP), which includes:
- New York State Gaming Commission
- Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
- New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG)
Efforts to create a PGAC date back to 2015.
“It is evident that there is a growing need to promote awareness of and access to problem gambling services. The development of a Problem Gambling Advisory Council will help to identify issues affecting those suffering from a problem gambling disorder and recommend ways to make prevention and treatment more accessible throughout the state,” the Senate bill read.
Last year, both chambers approved that same bill only to see Hochul veto it.
This year’s attempt to pass a PGAC bill is the fifth by state lawmakers.
Over in New Jersey, Assembly Deputy Speaker Mila Jasey introduced a bill that requires public colleges and universities to administer a gambling addiction prevention program if they decide to partner with sportsbooks in the state. The educational partnerships would give students “educational materials that promote responsible gambling behavior.”
The bill has no other sponsors and Jasey is not talking.
Jasey’s bill would take effect immediately if it is signed into law.
The proposal says that any New Jersey school that partners with a sportsbook must provide students with information about a gambling addiction hotline. The two-page law states a “hotline shall be posted on the website of the institution and in each sports facility, dormitory, library, and student center, and any other facility or area on campus that the institution determines to be appropriate.”
A partnership between a New Jersey university and a sportsbook is less than likely. If it was, it would have happened in the past five years.
New Jersey law prohibits legal sportsbooks from taking bets on games involving state schools or college athletics events within its borders.
A rise in gambling addiction among college-aged Americans has become a potential issue. Partnerships between sportsbooks and colleges have risen up and been torn down, including University of Colorado, Michigan State and LSU., according to PlayNJ.
