A New Jersey state government-commissioned taskforce has recommended an evaluation of whether a uniform gambling age limit should be adopted, which would be applied to lotteries.
A recent report published by the Responsible Gaming Task Force (RGTF) made a number of recommendations for how New Jersey can better handle responsible gaming. The state is one of the heartland gambling jurisdictions in the US, from the casinos of Atlantic City to the legislation of online gambling in 2013 to the legalisation of sports betting in 2018.
It is also home to one of the US’ oldest state lotteries, having been established in 1970 after voter approval in 1969. The state lottery age has been set at 18 for some time, but this may now be under evaluation.
“New Jersey has long been a leader in the gaming industry, and with that leadership comes the responsibility to ensure the well-being of our residents,” said Governor Phil Murphy.
“I appreciate the Task Force’s efforts to create a safer and more supportive gaming environment, particularly for our most vulnerable communities.”
It is important to note that the report does not directly call for the age limit for lotteries to be raised to 21, but does recommend that the state government explore the potential of a uniform gaming age.
The task force added that it believes the idea is worth exploring further. This would establish a standard age for all forms of gaming, and if adopted would set the age limit for lotteries at 21, the same as betting, gaming and casino.
New Jersey lottery to up its RG game?
Responsible gaming has become a focal issue for many stakeholders in the US gambling market. This has become particularly important since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, which led to 37 states now approving legal, regulated state betting markets.
The rapid growth of the industry over the past few years, alongside the extensive marketing campaigns betting operators have engaged, have prompted some concerns about the social impact of gambling. While this does not apply to lotteries as much as bookmakers and casinos, lotteries are still not exempt.
In the RGTF’s case, the task force has recommended that changes be made to how responsible gaming is funded via lotteries – specifically, it argues that the money paid in penalties by firms which violate New Jersey lottery laws should be distributed to RG causes.
It is also recommended that the New Jersey Lottery contributes to RG funds as part of a gaming-wide industry commitment. Similar to the proposed standardisation of age limits, the task force has recommended a standardisation of RG tools and advertising.
Again, this would see uniform rules around the RG tools lottery operators and betting/gaming operators offer their customers, and around the different marketing and advertising tactics and campaigns said firms could embark on.
The lottery has been left exempt from some recommendations, however. Most notably, the lottery and amusement games have been left out of the recommendation that annual studies covering all forms of gaming should be conducted – these would instead only apply to betting and casinos.
Regarding the wider lottery ecosystem, the report has also referred to lottery couriers. The task force recommends that these firms – the likes of Lotto.com, Jackpocket, Jackpot.com etc – should also provide a link to the proposed central RG website. It is also recommended that these firms show a standardised RG message across their platforms.
Other than this, there is no mention of couriers. This may come as a relief to the industry, which is facing a potential ban in Indiana while also being embroiled in a dispute with the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC).
New Jersey is, however, one of only two states to regulate lottery couriers, the others being neighbouring New York. Meanwhile the more distant state of Arizona is looking at joining the club.