New Jersey 222nd Legislature Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 3 D · 2 R cosponsors

S 597 — Revises penalty for underage gambling to be civil penalty; provides for all associated fines to be used for gambling addiction treatment.

Last action — TRANS SJU

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed General Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    2 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (3 D · 2 R) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

Changes underage gambling penalties to civil penalties and directs fines to gambling addiction treatment.

This bill revises the penalty for underage gambling from a criminal penalty to a civil penalty, meaning it won't result in a criminal record. Additionally, all associated fines will be allocated for gambling addiction treatment.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families may have more support for treatment options related to gambling addiction.

Summary

Underage gambling-revises penalty to be civil penalty

Bill Text

  • Introduced View text Current html December 15, 2025

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the New Jersey statutes: N.J.S.A. 5:12-119.

  • N.J.S.A. 5:12-119

    guilty of a disorderly persons offense and shall be fined not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 is guilty of a disorderly persons offense prosecution is guilty of a disorderly persons offense → liable to a civil penalty of up to $500 for the first offense, up to $1,000 for the second offense, and up to $2,000 for the third offense and any offense thereafter, which shall be collected by the commissioner in a summary proceeding before a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.) shall be liable to the same civil penalty established pursuant to subsection a. of this section proceeding shall be liable to the same civil penalty established pursuant to subsection a. of this section d. All penalties assessed under this section shall be paid into the General Fund for appropriation by the Legislature to the Department of Human Services for prevention and education and treatment programs for compulsive gambling that meet the criteria developed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.229 (C.26:2-169), such as those provided by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.

    amended

Action History

  1. TRANS SJU

  2. INT 1RS REF SSG

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 115 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (3)

Not signed on (115)

115 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 115 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

What does S 597 do?
Underage gambling-revises penalty to be civil penalty
Who sponsors S 597?
S 597 is sponsored by Beach, James (Democrat), Polistina, Vincent J. (Republican), Corrado, Kristin M. (Republican), Turner, Shirley K. (Democrat), and McKeon, John F. (Democrat).
What is the current status of S 597?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 597?
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Last checked for changes 10 days ago · updated continuously

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