Chris Christie Signs 7 Bills Into Law, Including Restrictions On Fantasy Sports Betting

Gov. Chris Christie has signed seven bills into law, including one that clamps down on fantasy sports betting in New Jersey.

Christie has signed a law requiring businesses to have permits to conduct daily fantasy sports games in New Jersey. The new law will not apply to fantasy sports betting conducted by individuals.

Participants in a daily fantasy sports games, however, must be at least 18 years of age. The law likely pertains mostly to the casinos, which desire to expand their interests in an industry that attracts millions of people each day.

Democratic lawmakers were the drivers behind the bill sponsored by Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic;, Ralph Caputo, D-Esse; and John Burzichelli, D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem.

They noted that investigations of the fantasy sports industry in other states revealed questionable behavior by some employees of fantasy sports operators, which was enabled by lack of regulation.

“The fantasy sports industry is a growing market year after year. The time is right for New Jersey to enter the fold with regulations aimed at providing strong consumer protections for our residents,” said Mazzeo. “This not only protects consumers, but promotes a positive business environment for fantasy sports operators and their thousands of New Jersey customers.”

Here are other bills signed by Christie:

BILLS SIGNED:

• ACS for A-3532/SS for S-1927 (Mazzeo, Caputo, Burzichelli, Moriarty/Whelan, Stack) - Provides for regulation of fantasy sports activities in New Jersey
• S-3311/A-4840 (Sweeney/Mazzeo) – w/STATEMENT - Requires early retirement incentive offer before public safety department layoffs in municipalities in need of stabilization and recovery
• S-2512/A-4446 (Madden, Beach/Quijano) - Concerns employee leasing agreements
• S-2563/A-4163 (Weinberg, T. Kean/Vainieri Huttle, Lampitt, O'Scanlon, McKnight) - Clarifies DCA rulemaking authority over free-standing residential health care facilities, and prohibits eviction of residents from such facilities, except for good cause
• A-1661/S-3217 (Schaer, Danielsen, Dancer, Sumter/Cunningham) - Expands eligibility of inmates for medical parole and requires inmate’s enrollment in Medicaid under certain circumstances
• ACS for A-2511/SCS for S-2211 (Eustace/Turner) - Requires life insurers to use federal death master file to identify potential matches
• A-3433/S-2527 (Greenwald, Jones, Singleton, Webber/Diegnan) - "Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act"; authorizes executor, agent, guardian, or trustee, under certain circumstances, to manage electronic records of decedent, principal, incapacitated person, or trust creator

Patch file photo