SEASIDE HEIGHTS – Making sure rubber frogs have all their limbs and arcade game claws are actually able to grab stuffed animals keeps games of chance fair and honest.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd, Division of Consumer Affairs Acting Director Cari Fais and numerous members of her department came out to the borough boardwalk to promote a safe summer, honest shopping and a fair chance of winning a prize.
Their visit at Blaine Avenue was part of the Division’s annual enforcement initiative designed to promote a family-friendly environment at the Jersey Shore. The “Safe Summer” program includes summer-long inspections of boardwalk games for fairness of play, and to ensure they have not been modified to the disadvantage of players.
Bruce Hurlbunt, an investigator for the Legalized Games of Chance Commission, was among those looking over the games that day and one of their first stops was the flying rubber frog attraction. “We’re making sure they are all level.” He noted that the attraction which involves customers slamming a small hammer that causes the rubber frogs to fly on metal lilly pads needs to have a proper balance.
The group spent about an hour touring various spots on the boardwalk to run some tests, check retail prices, check the scales at a candy shop and to even throw a few basketballs. Even though no one was able to score, the game was deemed to be fair. Platkin was a bit luckier at Sonny and Ricky’s Arcade, checking out a game machine that netted him a T-shirt prize.
“It is a beautiful day here on the boardwalk. I want to thank everyone that are here with me. The boardwalk is iconic in New Jersey for everyone who lives here and comes here and the boardwalks throughout the state,” he said. “When you come to pay the games at the boardwalk, we want you to know that you have a fair shot. When you are buying stuff at the stores you know the prices are fair, you know what they are and if you need to return something, you know how to do it.”
“That is what this is about – making sure people know what their rights are and that we take it seriously,” Platkin said. He said the inspectors examine “basketballs to see if they are too inflated, frogs at the frogger game have limbs. If so we’ll make sure those things get fixed.”
“We want people to know that if you are good at those games, you are going to win,” he added.
It was noted that a Safe Summer Task Force was made up of investigators and community outreach members from the Division of Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection (OCP). They make periodic visits to the state’s shore boardwalks to conduct compliance inspections and also hold public education events.
The inspections and events are held in conjunction with inspections by the Division’s Legalized Games of Chance Commission (LGCCC) and with help from the county consumer affairs offices and other county and local enforcement agencies. The inspections are held all summer long.
According to a breakdown of boardwalk enforcement activity in 2022, the OCP inspected 42 stores during Safe Summer events in the borough, Atlantic City and Point Pleasant and $6,500 in penalties were assessed from 14 violations cited in 12 stores.
The infractions involved the pricing at 10 stores and pricing and refund policies at two stores. Last year 20 stores were inspected in Seaside Heights and only three were cited with violations for their pricing and refund policy.
Chief Boyd remarked, “We’re happy the Attorney General and the Prosecutor are here today making sure everything is safe and everything is legit. People come to Seaside to enjoy themselves and we also want them to win.”
