The complete history of sports betting in New Jersey
Before gambling became illegal in NJ in 1844, lotteries existed in the state. Gambling was helpful in New Jersey as it helped finance landmark events and infrastructure in the state over time. However, it became prohibited after a referendum in 1897.
In 1974, there was another vote, but legalizing casinos & betting in the state was blackballed once again. Finally, only two years after casino gambling was made legitimate, it was only legal in Atlantic City. The first casino to commence activities after this legalization was Resorts Atlantic City in 1978 when Nevada was the only state that could legitimately control casinos nationwide.
John Corzine, the Governor of NJ at the time, was embroiled in a budget-related conflict with the state legislature, resulting in a government shutdown. The domino effect was that the bet platforms in Atlantic City had to shut down, too, since New Jersey laws don't allow a casino to operate without the close supervision of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. This revenue pocket of the state was hit severely due to this occurrence. Hence, other cities in the country subsequently started to forge their sports staking advancement.
In 2012, then-Governor Chris Christie passed a law allowing New Jersey's 12 casinos plus its four racetracks to conduct gambling activities. However, this development was struck down (again!) when a joint action by the NCAA, NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB caused the court to void the Governor's action, upholding the monopoly of betting activities in Nevada.
Fortunately, after an appeal in June 2017, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. As a result, in May 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) was voided, making it legal for other states to conduct gambling activities independently. This destroyed the monopoly of Nevada as regards to sports betting and gambling.
In addition, Governor Phil Murphy, in June 2018, signed the bill legalizing gambling in all of New Jersey and encouraging betting houses to seek a license to conduct online gambling after thirty days. As of this moment, gambling - both traditional and online - is still booming in the state of New Jersey.
Over the years, sports betting has become a promising scene in New Jersey, with iGaming being extended in the state for five more years through November 2028. It is also reported that New Jersey has surpassed $1 billion in sports betting gross revenue for 2023, marking a 24.8% rise for the by-year analytics – with January setting an all-time high for the sports betting handle and revenue records at $1.7 billion and $170.8 million, respectively.
As of the time of writing, the Garden State has a total of 17 sportsbooks operating for sports betting and other gambling services. The latest platform to join the fold was Prime Sportsbook, which launched last April with the hopes of bringing an “American-style sportsbook” experience in New Jersey.
There are also some key highlights for sports betting since its inception in New Jersey, and these include:
- 2021 was a landmark year for sports betting in New Jersey because it made its first billion in September - which it later topped in October, too!
- In February of 2024, betting on the SuperBowl reached an awesome total of almost $142 million, making it about $2 million less than the SuperBowl bets garnered in 2021.
- And last but certainly not the least, New Jersey has renewed online gambling in the state (including sports betting, of course), for another five years. This means all players can enjoy betting on their favorite sports events and games until November of 2028.
With all it had to go through just to legalize online casino gambling, especially online sports betting, New Jersey is a state that will not rest on its laurels anytime soon. Sports has always been big here, and as long as there are millions of sports fans eagerly awaiting the results of dozens upon dozens of sports events and games, there will always be sports bettors in the state, each one betting to win.