New Jersey has revived Senate Bill S597 for the 2026-2027 legislative session, seeking to remove criminal penalties for gambling violations involving people under 21 at casinos and simulcasting facilities, without legalizing the conduct or lowering the minimum gambling age. The bill, prefiled for the 222nd New Jersey Legislature, remains listed as “Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel” and would replace the current disorderly persons offense with a tiered civil-penalty system.
Senate Bill 597 would amend Section 119 of the Casino Control Act, P.L.1977, c.110, N.J.S.A. 5:12-119. Its primary sponsors are Democratic Senator James Beach, representing District 6 (Burlington and Camden) and Republican Senator Vincent J. Polistina, representing District 2 — Atlantic. Co-sponsors include Kristin M. Corrado, Shirley K. Turner and John F. McKeon.
Vincent J. Polistina
Under current law, a person under 21 who gambles at a casino or simulcasting facility may face a criminal disorderly person’s offense and a fine ranging from $500 to $1,000. S597 would replace that framework with civil penalties of up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second offense and $2,000 for a third or subsequent violation. The same penalty scale would apply to anyone who knowingly allows a minor under their custody to gamble, as well as casino licenses or employees who unlawfully permit an underage person to remain in or wager at a gaming facility.
Kristin M. Corrado
The fines would be paid into the New Jersey General Fund and appropriated to the Department of Human Services for compulsive gambling prevention, education and treatment programs, including initiatives such as those provided by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. If enacted, the measure would take effect immediately.
The change would have its most direct impact in Atlantic City, the center of New Jersey’s land-based casino market. The Casino Control Commission, chaired by James T. Plousis, is headquartered at Tennessee Avenue and Boardwalk in Atlantic City. The Division of Gaming Enforcement, led on an acting basis by Mary Jo Flaherty, reported $294.9 million in casino win from the state’s nine casino hotels in August 2026, alongside $259.3 million in internet gaming win.
