55. Division of gaming enforcement. There is hereby established in the Department of Law and Public Safety the Division of Gaming Enforcement. The division shall be under the immediate supervision of a director who shall also be sworn as an Assistant Attorney General and who shall administer the work of the division under the direction and supervision of the Attorney General. The director shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall serve during the term of office of the Governor, except that the first director shall be appointed for a term of 2 years. The director may be removed from office by the Attorney General for cause upon notice and opportunity to be heard.

The director and any employee or agent of the division shall be subject to the duty to appear and testify and to removal from his office, position or employment in accordance with the provisions of P.L.1970, c.72 (C. 2A:81-17.2a et seq.). The Attorney General shall be responsible for the exercise of the duties and powers assigned to the division.

The division shall be located in Atlantic City, except that the division may maintain a secondary satellite office in Trenton, which shall not be the primary office, if deemed necessary for the effective performance of its duties and responsibilities.

If, as a result of the transfer of duties and responsibilities from the Casino Control Commission to the division in accordance with P.L.2011, c.19 (C. 5:12-6.1 et al.), the division needs to employ an individual to fill a position, former employees of the commission who performed the duties of the position to be filled shall be given a one-time right of first refusal offer of employment with the division, and such employees may be removed by the division for cause or if deemed unqualified to hold the position, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary. An individual formerly employed by the commission who becomes employed by the division shall retain as an employee of the division the seniority, and all rights related to seniority, that the employee had with the commission as of the last day of employment with the commission; provided, however, that such seniority and seniority rights shall be retained only by an employee who was transferred from employment with the commission to employment with the division, and shall not be retained by an employee who was removed from employment with the commission due to layoff procedures or who resigned from a position with the commission prior to being hired by the division.

L.1977, c.110, s.55; amended 1980, c.69, s.1; 1995, c.18, s.11; 2011, c.19, s.124; 2012, c.34, s.11.