New Jersey lawmakers are in the process of crafting legislation to renew the state’s internet gaming law for another 10 years, according to a report in NJ Spotlight News.

Online casino gambling, which was approved in New Jersey in 2013, was only approved on a 10-year trial basis, and the 10 years expire this November.

Bill S3075, which has bipartisan support according to the report, would extend the iGaming law for another 10 years, through 2033. The bill passed through an Assembly committee last week and will be going in front of the state Senate’s budget committee on Monday. If all goes as planned, the bill could find itself on Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk by the end of the month.

“We believe this has been just a huge help to the casinos, particularly during the pandemic,” Hilary Chebra, manager of government relations for the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, said during last week’s State and Local Government Assembly committee hearing.

It has also been a boon to the state budget, with nearly $250 million in taxes collected in 2022. That number has been growing from year to year; in 2021, the state took in $206 million in tax revenue, and in 2020, the number was a little more than $147 million.

To compare, regulated sports betting netted the state $97.9 million in 2022, down from $102 million in 2021. (The slight downturn is widely attributed to the launch of legalized mobile sports betting in New York last year.)

No changes to iCasino operation expected

Nothing in the language of the bill — co-sponsored by Sen. James Beach (D-Burlington and Camden) and Sen. Vincent Polistina (R-Atlantic) — will change how internet casinos are operated in the state, with the mandate that each online casino continue to partner with a brick-and-mortar casino.

There are currently 31 online casinos partnered with the nine Atlantic City casinos, with each online casino paying 15% of its gross revenue to the state. The 2023 budget expects the total tax haul to rise dramatically again, to over $287 million.