The debate over whether online gambling should be legalized often centers around the fact that a certain percentage of players will develop an addiction.
Preventing those players from causing harm to themselves or their families by risking funds on gambling that should be set aside for life’s necessities has long been a concern for lawmakers and gaming officials. With New Jersey’s online gaming launch now less than three months away, the state has announced that limitations must be offered to players by the Internet gaming sites.
The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) website has stated that operators are required to allow players to invoke limits on the amount of funds deposited on the online gambling sites on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Also, limits can be set regarding the number of hours a player is allowed to be logged on at the soon-to-be launched Garden State gambling websites.
This is a positive step aimed at controlling problem gambling and one that critics will likely find favor with. Those critics, of which there are many, often are of the mind that the possibility of gambling addiction due to the ease at which players can play online far outweights the financial reward that may be reaped by state or federal governments from online gambling.
New Jersey seems very aware of the potential for addictive gambling problems. This was made evident long before the Internet gambling bill was passed in February. Governor Chris Christie insisted that more funds be earmarked toward compulsive gambling programs before he signed the bill into law.
Players being able to constrain themselves by setting limitations on their online poker and gambling spend is certainly a step in the right direction. It likely will not silence all the online gambling critics, but it will show that Garden State legislators and gaming officials sincerely care about their residents.
Withdrawals Permitted at Casinos
The DGE website also announced that online gambling accounts of players will be interchangeable with the operations of the land-based casinos to which they are affiliated. This is important because players will be allowed to withdraw online winnings in cash or chips by making such a request at the cashier cages of the casinos.
The days of long delays in cashouts appear to be over, at least in New Jersey. It is highly likely that other states that enact online gambling legislation will follow suit in making immediate withdrawals at brick and mortar gaming locations a standard business practice.
