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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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