Legislation
US – New Jersey publishes skill-based laws
By Phil - 24 February 2016
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (Division) announced the posting of Temporary Regulations regarding skill-based gaming.
The Division’s regulations mirror the Nevada skill-based regulations published in September 2015, so that any product approved in New Jersey would also be eligible for approval in Las Vegas and vice versa. However, companies that bring their skill based products to New Jersey before any other jurisdiction will have an additional advantage with a provision referred to as “New Jersey First.”
This provision allows gaming products that are submitted to New Jersey prior to or simultaneously with any other jurisdiction or testing lab to be tested and, if approved, put on the casino floor within 14 days.
Division Director David Rebuck said: “This is another important step towards implementing skill-based gaming in the Atlantic City gaming market. Although the Division has had the authority to authorize these games for some time and announced in October 2014 an initiative for manufacturers to bring their skill-based games to New Jersey, the industry requested specific regulations to guide their efforts to create innovative skill-based products. While the Division does not currently have any skill-based products in its Technical Services Lab, we are in discussions regarding several products and hope the clarity provided by these regulations will bring even more submissions in this cutting edge area that converges traditional casino gaming with the skill-based gaming so popular with millennials.”
Games manufacturers must make sure that the game prominently explains that the outcome of their bet can be influenced by their physical or mental skill as opposed to traditional gambling devices that are based on chance.
Games must pay out a certain percentage of bets collected, not less than 83 per cent, with casinos not allowed to make them harder or easier to win while a game is in progress, based on the perceived skill of the player.
Peer-to-peer, skill-based gaming will be monitored for any collusion and money laundering activity using an automated feature.
