How Are Underage Players Prevented From Gambling Online In New Jersey?
In order to be eligible to gamble online in the state of New Jersey, a player must be at least 21 years old and located within the state.
In New Jersey, it is a criminal offense to allow a person who is under the age of 21 to participate in internet or mobile wagering.
Online casinos such as Betfair or Virgin Casino take their age verification responsibilities very seriously.
They carry out age verification checks on all customers at the time of account establishment.
So unless a child is being expressly allowed by their parents or has stolen an adult’s identification, they will not be able to create an account or gamble at any online New Jersey gambling site.
How does Betfair specifically prevent underage gambling?
There are differences in the preventive measures that online New Jersey casinos take to prevent underage gambling, but the overall goal is always the same.
Using Betfair Casino as an example, we see that when you create an account on Betfair they require you to enter your birthdate as well as your social security number. If the age doesn’t match up, the casino will move forward with their investigation.
Players may then be required to submit such documentation as copies of their driver’s license and copies of credit card statements.
Until the casino is confident that you are who you say you are and that you are in fact 21 years of age, many of your player account privileges will be suspended.
If you are unable to prove that you are over the age of 21, you will not be allowed to gamble on Betfair NJ.
Providing inaccurate or dishonest information about your age can result in legal action taken by the casino and criminal charges being pressed against the individual. It may also result in forfeiture of any winnings that player received.
From the advent of online gambling, concerned citizens have always worried about underage players logging on to sites and gambling.
As compared to live casinos where young-looking players are quickly spotted by casino security and required to show valid identification proving their age, online casinos seem like a much easier avenue for underage players to infiltrate.
This is in fact not true thanks to the reliable and proven prevention systems put into place by sites regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
What can parents do to prevent their children from gambling?
Though it is unlikely to occur, after the initial sign up phase, it seems, underage players are able to run rampant in online casino games. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot that online casinos can do once a new player is established as being 21 years or older.
It is up to parents and responsible adults to monitor children’s behaviors and make sure that they are not participating in online gambling.
We recommend that responsible adults install internet filtering software on their computers. This software provides parents with the ability to control content displayed, block certain websites, and set up passwords to prevent gambling site from being available to underage persons.
There are plenty of filtering software choices available and a quick internet search will bring up reviews of the top filtering software.
Again, we stress that legal NJ online casinos are subject to strict rules and regulations, and as of this writing there have been zero reported instances of underage gambling on state-regulated websites.
Where can you get help if you suspect problem gambling?
If you are a concerned parent and you believe that your child has been gambling online, you should immediately contact the gambling operator and inform them of your child’s age.
You should also find out what information misled the casino about the age of your child and allowed them to play on the online gambling site.
If you believe that your child or an underage person is not only gambling but having problems as a result of that gambling, you should call the 24/7 Toll-Free New Jersey Telephone Hotline at 1-855-222-5542 for free confidential help.
The gambling hotline is for anyone that needs help with a gambling problem or anyone who is interested in helping someone with a gambling problem.
The hotline is divided into three segments:
- Connection to volunteers.
- Directions to New Jersey-based Gambler’s Anonymous meetings.
- Requests for information regarding problem gambling.