New Jersey is one of the least restrictive states when it comes to gambling in the United States. It was one of the first states to allow online gambling, which was first allowed in November 2013.
In 2014, New Jersey first challenged the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. On May 14th, 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Appeals Court decision, removing the final barrier to allow sports betting in New Jersey. This decision made New Jersey the first state to allow sports gambling and the only other place in the United States outside of Las Vegas to allow sports betting as well.
How did New Jersey get here? This article will examine the history of how New Jersey got here, the places to gamble as well as the sports teams that drive betting. Let’s begin by taking a quick glance at these three aspects. We’ll start by looking at the status of betting.
At A Glance
Status of Betting At A Glance: There are a wide range of gambling options that are legal in the state of Nevada including sports betting, online gambling, casino gambling as well as a lottery that includes Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, 5 card cash, Quick Draw, Pick-6 Xtra, Mega Millions, Powerball and scratch offs.
Where to Bet At A Glance: The top 10 casinos in New Jersey in order of 1-10 are: Borgata Casino located in Atlantic City, Hard Rock Casino located in Atlantic City, Gateway 26 Casino located in North Wildwood, Caesars Atlantic City Casino located in Atlantic City, Tropicana Casino located in Atlantic City, Golden Nugget Casino located in Atlantic City, Resorts Atlantic City Casino located in Atlantic City, Monmouth Park Racetrack located in Oceanport, Wild Wild West Casino in Atlantic Casino and Harrah’s Atlantic Casino located in Atlantic City.
Teams At A Glance: The teams that drive betting in New Jersey when it comes to sports betting are as follows: the New York Jets and New York Giants in the NFL, the New York Mets and New York Yankees in baseball, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks in the NBA, and the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.
Status of Sports Betting
The history of sports betting in New Jersey is a relatively lengthy one. New Jersey has always been one of the most permissive states when it comes to gambling in the United States. The lottery was banned in 1844.
In 1894, the New Jersey Legislature banned parimutuel gambling, and in 1897 the voters of New Jersey approved a referendum to ban all gambling in the state. From 1894-1939, all gambling was banned in the state. In 1939 racetrack gambling became legal again.
In 1953, voters approved a referendum to officially allow non-profit organizations to have bingos and raffles. In 1959 amusement games became legal again after they were banned in 1957. In 1970 81.5% of New Jersey voters voted in favor of a referendum that allowed the state lottery to become legal again which help create the New Jersey lottery.
In 1975, the pick-3 contest was legalized, and it became the first contest in the United States where the players could pick their own numbers. In 1974, New Jersey voters voted against a referendum that would make casinos legal state-wide, but in 1976 they approved a referendum allowing state-wide casinos.
In 2006, gambling in Atlantic City’s casinos and at racetracks in the state were forced to close after it was determined that the official monitors from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission were essential and New Jersey state law stated that gambling establishments could not legally operate without state oversight. Sports betting became legal in 2018. Online casinos became legal on November 21st, 2013. Like all other places where gambling is legal, the minimum age to be able to gamble in New Jersey is 21.
Where to Bet on Sports
There are ten casinos in the state of New Jersey that offer Sports Betting, which are: Borgata, Monmouth Park, Ocean Resort Casino, Resorts, Meadowlands, Harrah’s, Bally’s, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock Atlantic City, and Tropicana, with many locations in the state of New Jersey. Let’s take a look at these ten and go over where they are located as well as what is offered at each one. We’ll begin by looking at Borgata.
Borgata launched sports betting on June 14th, 2018 and teamed with IGT and the name of the sportsbook is Race & Sports Book. The Borgata is in Atlantic City and offers both sports betting at the casino as well as online sports wagering. They will also be offering a moneyline bar & book starting in the summer of 2019.
Monmouth Park launched sports betting on June 14th, 2018 and teamed with William Hill in a partnership. The name of the sportsbook is Monmouth Parks Sports Book by William Hill. They offer both sports betting at the location as well as a mobile betting app for residents residing in the state.
Ocean Resort Casino launched sports betting on June 28th, 2918 and like Monmouth Park teamed with William Hill. The name of Ocean Resort Casino’s sportsbook is William Hill Sportsbook @ Ocean. Ocean Resort Casino only offers sports betting at their physical location.
Resorts launched sports betting on August 15th, 2018 and teamed with SBTech; DraftKings/Kambi. The sportsbook at Resorts is called DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts. Resorts offers sports betting both at the physical location as well as the DraftKings app.
Meadowlands launched sports betting on July 14th, 2018 and teamed with Betfair/FanDuel. The sportsbook at Meadowlands is called FanDuel Sportsbook. Meadowlands offers sports betting at the physical location as well as on the FanDuel app.
Harrah’s Casino launched sports betting on August 1st, 2018 and teamed with Scientific Games. The sportsbook at Harrah’s is called The Book. Harrah’s Casino has a betting window, custom menu from AC Burger Co. and Two Private Fan Caves.
Bally’s launched sports betting on July 30th, 2018 with Scientific Games. The sportsbook at Bally’s is called Wild Wild West Sportsbook. Bally’s offers multiple sports tv’s that show every available game that they allow wagers on.
Golden Nugget launched sports betting on August 15th, 2018 and teamed with SBTech. The sportsbook at the Golden Nugget is called The Sports Book. The Golden Nugget offers bets both at the casino location as well as betting online for New Jersey Residents and players physically located in New Jersey.
Hard Rock Atlantic City launched sports betting on January 30th, 2018 and teamed with GiG. The sportsbook at Hard Rock Atlantic City is called Hard Rock Sportsbook. They offer betting both at the casino as well as online for residents and those physically located in New Jersey.
Tropicana launched sports betting on October 25th, 2018 and teamed with William Hill. The sportsbook at Tropicana is called William Hill Sports Book at Tropicana Atlantic City. They offer betting at the site of the casino as well as online for residents and players physically located in the state of New Jersey.
Latest News
Sports betting became legal one year ago, and some experts think it could overtake Las Vegas. In January of this year, the casinos took in more sports betting than Las Vegas did for that month. Customers are coming from New York as well as Philadelphia in order to place bets on sports, which is helping drive up revenue on sports betting.
In March, New Jersey took in $372.4 million in sports bets alone. In March New Jersey brought in 372.4 million versus 596.8 million for Las Vegas and other months have been close as well in February New Jersey brought in 320.3 million versus the 458.6 million in Las Vegas.
Sports Teams That Drive Betting
With players from New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia, there are teams that drive sports betting in the casinos in New Jersey. We’ll look at all four major sports and the teams that drive sports betting in the state of New Jersey. We’ll begin by looking at the NBA.
NBA: With players coming from New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey ,most bets are placed on the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
NFL: Again, with many bets being placed at the casinos coming from players from New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey there are three major teams that drive sports betting at the casinos, which are the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and the New York Giants.
MLB: Like the sports prior, the majority of sports betting bets are placed by players from Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey. There are three teams that see the majority of the action, which are the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
NHL: With the majority of action in the New Jersey sports bets coming from players from New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, there are four major teams that see the action in NHL bets: the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Legal Status of Gambling
Casino Legal Status: Casinos betting has been legal since 1976, and the majority of the casinos in New Jersey are located in Atlantic City.
Sports Betting Legal Status: Sports Betting became legal on June 11th, 2018, with the passage of Assembly Bill 411.
Horse Racing Legal Status: Horse racing became legal in 1939, and they have one of the oldest racetracks in the United States.
Poker Legal Status: New Jersey offers social poker gambling as long as the organizer of the game is on equal terms with the other participants.
DFS Status: DFS became legal in the state of New Jersey in July of 2017, and both FanDuel and DraftKings have sportsbooks at casinos in the state.
Lottery Legal Status: In 1970, the legislature passed a referendum that allowed lottery to become legal in the state. They offer eight related lottery games, which are Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, 5 Card Cash, Quick Draw, Pick-6 Xtra, Mega Millions, Powerball and scratch offs.
Sports Betting Timeline
- November 2011 voters pass a referendum to allow sports betting in the state.
- January 2012 Governor Chris Christies passes state legislation that allows sports betting.
- February 2013 United States District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp rules in favor of professional sports to uphold the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992
- September 2013 a three-judge panel votes in favor of Michael A. Shipp’s decision.
- June 27th, 2017, the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case
- May 14th, 2018 the Supreme Court rules in favor of New Jersey and allows sports gambling to become legal
- June 11th, 2018 Governor Phil Murphy signs Assembly Bill 4111 legalizing sports betting at casinos and racetracks in the state of New Jersey
