Bill To Legalize Remote Raffles In New Jersey Vetoed Temporarily

• Senate Bill 2842 that would make remote raffles legal in New Jersey has been given a temporary veto by Governor Phil Murphy.
• Murphy has asked bill sponsors to make 25 amendments, mostly with the words used in the bill, before he will sign it into law.
• The biggest issue is Murphy only wants remote raffles to be legal in times of crisis like the Coronavirus Pandemic and not at all times when they can be held at venues.

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has temporarily vetoed a bill that would make remote raffles legal to conduct in the Garden State.

Why is this action being dubbed a “temporary veto”? The Governor agrees to the idea of what Senate Bill 2842 is trying to accomplish but he would like lawmakers to make a few clarifications otherwise known as amendments before he signs it into law.

What Governor Phil Murphy Says About NJ SB 2842

The bill, in its current form, takes into account the Coronavirus Pandemic. In doing so, they have it written that these raffles can be done through the use of the internet and mobile platforms also known as remote access.

While Governor Murphy agrees that the concept is a great way to continue having raffles and gaining potential profits in a health-safety conscious manner, he does not agree that the terms say nothing about how it will all work after the Pandemic.

Like legal online casinos, mobile and online raffles make the most sense when people cannot go to venues to participate in them. But Governor Murphy feels there is no need to allow the concept to continue beyond that point.

Yet, there is nothing mentioned in the bill that states mobile and internet raffles would cease once they can be held at venues again and that’s all the Governor is really looking to see changed within the bill.

If lawmakers can make some minor adjustments then Senate Bill 2842 will likely be signed into law before year’s end.

“It is certainly reasonable and appropriate, in response to a public health emergency which has prevented fans from participating in charitable raffles at the stadium as they root on their hometown teams, to allow these game-day raffles to be conducted through the Internet or other electronic means. This expansion will enable ticketholders who would otherwise be in attendance at the event, and other loyal team followers, to show their generosity and support for the worthy charitable causes promoted at the venue by the participating organizations,” said Murphy in his temporary veto letter to the Senate.

“However, the bill does not limit the remote conduct of raffles to just during the public health emergency, and I do not see the rationale for extending indefinitely this expanded authorization, once the public health emergency has passed and stadiums are again filled with fans. Accordingly, I propose amendments to specify that raffles at a large sporting venue may be conducted remotely while the Public Health Emergency is in effect or whenever a declared Public Health Emergency is in effect.”

The Outlook For The Bill’s Legalization

Within his letter to Senate to go with his temporary veto, Murphy proposed that 25 changes be made to NJ SB 2842.

They are all simple fixes that have to do with specific words for the most part, either redacting or adding them to the bill. The biggest change would be adding that remote raffles in New Jersey only be legal in times of state emergencies as they can be held at stadiums and other sites regularly and legally at any other time so there would be no need for constant remote access.

These changes are very minor and almost superficial and should be no problem for bill sponsors to agree to and modify in order to get Senate Bill 2842 made legal in 2020, allowing for remote raffles to begin for the Garden State soon after it is enacted.