David Rebuck
5 QUESTIONS
David Rebuck
Director , New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
David Rebuck is about to conclude 13 years as head of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement , the longest reign in the history of the agency . During his time , the DGE set regulations after the legalization of iGaming , helped New Jersey become the first state to operate sports betting outside of Nevada , oversaw the closing of four Atlantic City casinos in one year , endured the pandemic , and much more . Rebuck recalled all those issues in a podcast with GGB Publisher Roger Gros in the DGE offices in Atlantic City in December . To hear and view a full podcast of this interview , visit GGBMagazine . com .
1
When you were first appointed , the DGE took over all the investigatory functions previously shared with the Casino Control Commission , which then become only the licensing entity . What kind of relationship did you have at that point with the CCC , and what do you have now ? Rebuck : At the time , that was the biggest change in the structure of oversight and regulation of the industry . The commission would have hearings that would approve or disapprove licenses for owners , supervisors , key employees , qualifiers and more after the division did the investigation , so you ’ d have a check on the division . And then , there ’ s an appeal mechanism . And over the years , we ’ ve had very few decisions overturned .
2
After you were appointed , there was a move to legalize iGaming , which had never been legalized anywhere in the United States before , so you had no blueprint . How difficult was it to draw up the regulations ? Well , it was a huge challenge . But we couldn ’ t fail . Under the legislation , we were given nine months to implement a regulatory model for internet casino gambling . Now , we saw it coming , so I will be honest to say we started doing research long before that law got signed into place ... We made contact with regulatory bodies and companies in Europe that were here or coming here to give us their ideas , their concepts . We did a lot of listening , a lot of questioning . We had to make sure that we had consumer protections and integrity in place .
3
There was a concern that iGaming would cannibalize brick-and-mortar casino revenues .
How did you approach that ? Given what has happened since then , it has rescued the casino industry in New Jersey . If we hadn ’ t legalized iGaming , it would be a different environment here today . It definitely did not cannibalize the offerings . It ’ s brought in a new demographic of individuals who they can market to , and it has expanded their opportunities to be successful as a business .
4
Five years ago , sports betting was legalized and the DGE was ready for that . New
Jersey was the first one to launch outside of Nevada . How did you prepare for that ? As you know , the litigation went on for years . I don ’ t know if anyone knows this , but when we first drafted regulations , it was when the law was passed in 2011 . We were ready to take that first bet . And then the injunction came in from the federal government . So we had a first round of regs that we had researched and studied . Now , I ’ ll tell you this , in hindsight , I wish it hadn ’ t taken seven years to get started . But the best thing that happened to us was in that seven-year window . We got to be stronger .
5
Some of the toughest times were the closing of four casinos in 2014 . How did that affect you ? I was very depressed . I never want to close another casino again ; it is horrible . The impact on people is huge . Losing their jobs and the impact on the community was disastrous . I don ’ t see any casinos closing now — changing , selling ito different owners , yes , but closing , not making it , no , I don ’ t see it .
“ They Said It ”
“ The disingenuous nature of these initiatives should be a red flag to every tribal government as well as every voter in California .”
— James Siva , chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association , pushing again for an end to a pair of sports betting initiatives before they get on the ballot
CALENDAR
February 6-8 : International Casino Exhibition ( ICE ), ExCeL London , U . K . Produced by Clarion Events . For more information , visit icelondon . uk . com .
February 25-28 : SiGMA Eurasia , InterContinental Dubai Festival City , Dubai , UAE . Produced by SiGMA Group . For more information , visit sigma . world .
March 5-7 : SBC Summit Rio , Windsor Barra Hotel , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . Produced by SBC Events . For more information , visit sbcevents . com .
March 10-15 : Regulating the Game 2024 , Cliftons Sydney , Sydney , Australia . Produced by Regulating the Game Pty . Ltd . For more information , visit regulatingthegame . com .
March 12-15 : Africa Gaming Expo , Eko Convention Center , Lagos , Nigeria . Produced by Africa Gaming Expo Ltd . For more information , visit agelagos . com .
April 8-11 : Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention , Anaheim Convention Center , Anaheim , California . Produced by the Indian Gaming Association . For more information , visit indiangamingtradeshow . com .
April 17-18 : East Coast Gaming Congress , Hard Rock Hotel & Casino , Atlantic City , New Jersey . Produced by Spectrum Gaming Group , Cooper Leveson and PlayDoit . For more information , visit eastcoastgamingcongress . com .
June 4-6 : G2E Asia , The Venetian Macao . Produced by the American Gaming Association and RX . For more information , visit G2EAsia . com .
8 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2024