After 13 Years as DGE Director, New Jersey’s “Godfather” of Online Gambling Retires
In New Jersey, a historic period has come to an end.
After serving as the Division of Gaming Enforcement’s director for 13 years, the longest tenure of any DGE director in history, David Rebuck announced his resignation.
When New Jersey’s online casinos opened their doors in 2013 and generated more than $1 billion in state tax revenue, he was there when internet gambling first gained traction in the Garden State. Five years later, when NJ sports betting debuted online and brought in an additional $450 million for the state, he was there.
New Jersey became the model state for the legalization of gaming, setting the bar high for other states to follow. And in the forefront was Rebuck, who is regarded as the “Godfather” of online gaming. He now rides out into the sunset.
Rebuck has served New Jersey for 36 years total, and even as he nears retirement, he maintains his humility. Rebuck said in a statement that the successes at DGE are not attributable to any one individual.
He continued by saying that he has had the honor and gratitude of working with a fantastic team at DGE and being subordinate to two governors and eight attorneys general.
The “Godfather” of Online Gambling in New Jersey Retires
In January 1988, Rebuck entered the picture as deputy attorney general, offering legal counsel and assisting in the assessment and examination of proposed laws.
Unfortunately, he saw the start of Atlantic City’s decline, which led to four casino closures in 2014 alone. However, Rebuck also played a key role in the establishment of New Jersey’s internet casinos, which helped the resort survive. After all, that was the whole point of iGaming.
That has, in fact, been the case. The nine physical casinos in Atlantic City started to gradually recover as internet casinos gained popularity. AC casinos had a little 2.2% revenue growth in 2023 compared to the previous year. (However, it should be highlighted that given the industry’s peak about 20 years ago, the retail side of things still needs improvement.)
