Atlantic City online dealer urges commission to investigate lack of gratuity transparency

An Atlantic City online dealer urged the Casino Control Commission to seek clarity and legislative or enforcement action on how customer gratuities for online dealers are collected and distributed.

Mark Padula, who identified himself as an Atlantic City resident and an online dealer, told commissioners he and his coworkers lack visibility into gratuities: when a customer leaves a tip it is routed from the land-based casino to a vendor that provides the online-dealing service, then to the company that employs the online dealers, and dealers do not see an itemized record showing what was collected or how it was distributed. "We have no knowledge of anything... We have no knowledge of what came in, where it goes, and how it's distributed," Padula said, describing fear of reprisals among coworkers and saying many affected employees are reluctant to speak publicly.

Padula asked the commission, the Division of Gaming Enforcement and state legislators to pursue a fix so online dealers receive the same transparency afforded land-based dealers. He suggested technical solutions such as a tote board or a real-time electronic record that would show tips as they are collected. The chair and fellow commissioners thanked Padula for speaking and said they would take his concerns under advisement.

The division's director was on the meeting line during public comment; commissioners indicated the matter could be raised with the Division of Gaming Enforcement and that legislative offices (Padula cited his intent to contact a state senator) might also be involved. No formal action was taken at the meeting in response to the comment.

Why it matters: Online gaming now accounts for more than half of gaming revenues in New Jersey, according to remarks by the Division of Gaming Enforcement during the meeting. Padula's account raises workplace and transparency questions for thousands of employees who work in online-dealing operations, and any policy or enforcement changes would require cooperation among casinos, vendors, the Division of Gaming Enforcement and potentially the state legislature.

Provenance: public-comment transcript; Mark Padula identified himself and described the tip-handling process and his request for greater transparency to the commission.