SEASIDE HEIGHTS – State officials took advantage of the sunny weather, shooting hoops and testing arcade games in order to keep these 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 Seaside Heights boardwalk to promote a “safe summer” when it comes to honest game play and shopping.
The team started their initiative at Lincoln Avenue, where they kicked off the “Safe Summer 2024” event. The program is designed to promote a family-friendly environment at the Jersey Shore, which includes summer-long inspections of boardwalk games to ensure they have not been modified to the disadvantage of players.
“It’s a great day to come down to the shore to talk about everything we do to ensure that folks who come to the boardwalk, they feel confident that when they play the games, that they have a fair chance at winning,” Platkin said.
Officials spent about an hour visiting retail shops and fan favorite games. One of the first stops was at the basketball toss. Platkin along with Billhimer threw a few basketballs to test if the game had a fair set up.
“This game uses mini basket balls, which the manifested standard is between four to six lbs. of air. For the regular basketball size, it’s anywhere between nine and 12,” Joseph Chessere, an investigator for the Legalized Games of Chance Commission, explained. “We’ve noticed in the past that some basketball games will put up to 40 lbs. of air. By over inflating the basketballs, it makes it harder to go into the ring.”
They also check the level of the rim, the distance from the hoop to the player’s position, and the back board and rim to make sure they are not flimsy.
“That’s why we’re here to test it, to make sure the consumers have the opportunity to win a prize,” Chessere added.
The group then moved into Coin Castle to test their luck at a claw machine, a staple at any shore arcade.
“When we do an inspection, the first thing we check is the software to make sure it’s certified,” Chessere said. “We also want to make sure that the play field is not packed tight.”
Some other games and shops that officials checked were balloon darts, Luck Leo’s Sweet Shop, bottle bust, frog bog, and more.
The Safe Summer Task Force is made up of investigators and community outreach members from the Division of Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection (OCP). They make periodic visits to boardwalks to conduct compliance inspections and also hold public education events.
The events are held in conjunction with inspections by the Division’s Legalized Games of Chance Commission and with help from the county consumer affairs offices and other county and local enforcement agencies. Investigators conduct these inspections all summer long.
In 2023, the OCP inspected 66 stores during Safe Summer events in Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Wildwood, and Point Pleasant. In total 13 violations carrying $5,000 in assessed penalties were cited in 10 stores. This included nine merchandises without a tag or label, three refund policies, and one credit card surcharge.
In Seaside Heights, 26 stores were inspected in 2023, with four violations cited in three stores – totaling to $1,250 in penalties.
“In the Department of Law and Public Safety, it’s our job to keep residents safe, not only do we keep them safe from violent crimes, but we also keep them safe from scams on the boardwalk. That’s part of what we do,” Platkin said. “Folks out here from the Division of Consumer Affairs do that every day so you can feel confident when you come to the boardwalk that you’re going to get a fair shot.”
