New Jersey to let online poker operators hire celebrities for advertising, publicity

New Jersey is proposing new rules to let its licensed online gambling operators pay celebrities to play online poker against the unwashed masses of non-celebrity Garden State residents.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) released a series of proposed amendments to its regulations governing online gambling operations. Among these proposals is a plan that would allow state-licensed poker sites to hire “celebrity or other players” to play on their sites “for advertising or publicity purposes.”

The proposal, for which public comments will be accepted through Feb. 5, 2016, stipulates that poker sites would be allowed to fund the celebrity players’ accounts “in whole or in part,” effectively giving the celebs a free roll against the site’s rank and file.

Should the site’s deal with a celebrity player require that he/she forego the right to keep any winnings generated via these sponsored activities, the sites would be required to include the winnings in their regular monthly revenue report to the DGE.