Right now, New Jersey is on the way toward participating in a multi-state gambling self-exclusion registry, a move that joins a growing trend of interstate coordination on gaming responsibility.

21 September 2026

This week a New Jersey Senate committee approved Senate Bill 2055, which would authorize the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement to join a multi-state or national self-exclusion program.

What SB 2055 Does

Under the bill, a person could voluntarily exclude themselves from gambling activities governed by the DGE in multiple participating states with a single application. While New Jersey already has a self-exclusion program that covers casinos, sportsbooks and iGaming platforms, it applies only within the state. This bill would allow New Jersey to enter agreements with other states to recognize and enforce each jurisdiction’s self-exclusion lists.

Why Interstate Self-Exclusion Matters

On its own, New Jersey’s state-level exclusion program leaves gaps for gambling-addicted people who wager across multiple jurisdictions. "We cannot lock someone in," McKeon said during the committee hearing. He shared his own family history of problematic gambling and expressed hope that this measure would help stem the growing tide of problem gambling in the state.

The proposed program would allow individuals to opt into self-exclusion for gambling activities in any participating state through a single web portal, with the option to specify exclusions on a state-by-state basis. It would also introduce oversight measures to ensure operators in each state are using the exclusion lists to prevent prohibited individuals from accessing gambling services.

New Jersey already has one of the nation’s most comprehensive self-exclusion programs, with over 7,000 residents currently enrolled. At the state level, this initiative will need to coordinate with improving connections across regulatory jurisdictions. The current decentralized approach means multiple data submissions to different states, each with unique self-exclusion configurations.

This bill, sponsored by Sen. Vince Polistina and co-sponsored by Sens. John McKeon and Vin Gopal, still needs to clear both the state Senate and Assembly before heading to the governor’s desk for final approval. In the meantime, it reflects an effort to align New Jersey's policies with initiatives already underway in other states.

Parallel State Developments

The idea of multi-state cooperation on self-exclusion is already playing out on a smaller scale. A pilot program called the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program launched last month with six participating states. The program, developed by state gaming regulators and gambling-treatment experts, allows individuals to enter themselves in self-exclusion lists across all participating states with a single application.

In New York, the state’s Gaming Commission offers self-exclusion from any gaming activities available in the state, while the Illinois Gaming Board allows registrants to extend their self-exclusion to out-of-state venues.

The American Gaming Association reports all 38 jurisdictions with commercial gambling in the U.S. require operators to offer self-exclusion programs, with most maintaining centralized self-exclusion registers covering all gambling platforms.

At the federal level, discussions continue about establishing a national exclusion framework. As states seek to combat gambling addiction more effectively, New Jersey's bill could become an important step toward developing a unified national solution.