September 19, 2011
Office of The Attorney General
– Paula T. Dow, Attorney General
Division of Gaming Enforcement
– David Rebuck, Acting Director
Media Inquiries-
Lisa Spengler
609-317-6201
lisa.spengler@njdge.org
Citizen Inquiries-
609-292-4925
Division of Gaming Enforcement Announces Publication of Proposed New Regulations under Senate Bill S-12
ATLANTIC CITY – Proposed new regulations intended to supplement and supersede emergency regulations adopted in the wake of casino reform legislation were published today in the New Jersey Register. These regulations were developed in response to the re-regulation required under Senate Bill S-12. The regulations also comport with Executive Orders 1, 2, 3 and 4 and direction from the Red Tape Review Commission, which was empowered to review all pending and proposed rules and regulations with a focus on improving New Jersey’s regulatory climate.
“Today marks a significant step in the re-regulation process for Atlantic City and the State of New Jersey,” said Acting Director David Rebuck. “We are satisfying a commitment to Governor Christie and to the citizens of New Jersey by undertaking a thorough and detailed review of all casino regulations.”
The proposals published today are the result of a comprehensive review of hundreds of pages of regulations. In order to address the regulatory reforms of S-12, the Division took a fresh look at all of the regulations to ensure consistency and to strengthen the processes throughout the chapters.
“I am proud of all those at the Division who have dedicated themselves to reviewing and rewriting the regulations to make them as encompassing and solid as the first regulations. Our focus is on streamlining regulation while maintaining public confidence and trust in the integrity of the regulatory process and casino operations.” said Acting Director Rebuck.
The 11 chapters being published today include, among other things, the movement to registration, as opposed to licensure, for certain casino-related employees and the removal of certain periodic license renewal requirements. A new call-forward procedure for vendors that will enable the Division to perform a more thorough licensure examination of any vendor if integrity concerns warrant that action. Also, the new casino employee registration will cost a one-time fee of $95. This represents a great savings over the $350 initial fee and $250 renewal fee every five years which was previously required for the casino employee license. New streamlined processes for hearings, junket operators, casino hotel alcoholic beverage licenses, simulcast rules and financial stability analyses are also included in these regulations.
There will be a 60-day comment period for the regulations published today. The comment period will end November 18. The Division will review and respond to every comment as required by law.
Acting Director Rebuck said, “Everyone needs to be reminded that the regulations are a fluid document. We want to make sure that as the industry grows, as advancements in technology occur and as our competition dictates, we will be able to adapt the regulations to meet those changes without in any way compromising confidence in gaming operations.”
The Division will continue to respond to re-regulation in support of Governor Christie’s initiative to restore Atlantic City to its status as a premier international gaming and resort destination.
The three remaining chapters of the regulations on internal controls, gaming equipment and rules of the games will be published November 7.
anyone interested in reviewing the new regulations can go to www.njdge.org . The procedures for commenting are noted on all of the proposals in the New Jersey Register.
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