New Jersey has separated itself as one of the top states in America for sports betting. With a long list of in-person and online wagering options to choose from, the Garden State of New Jersey has come out as one of the leaders in the sports betting space despite being surrounded by other states that offer legal sports wagering action.
In this guide to New Jersey sports betting, find out everything you need to know about action in New Jersey, including where to bet and what can be wagered on in Atlantic City and beyond.
Just like Nevada is the gold standard of sports betting on the West coast, NJ sports betting is renowned on the East coast. A huge reason for that is the number of sports leagues and events that bettors can wager on. Most notably, events in popular sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL NCAA basketball and NCAA football are up for grabs.
In addition to those popular leagues and commonplace events like the Super Bowl, land-based and online sportsbook options take bets on more niche sports as well. Bettors can get their spread, total, moneyline and parlay action on sports like tennis, auto racing and fighting. And with many global sportsbook brands available in New Jersey, soccer is also among the most well-covered sports in the state.
One of the things that has made New Jersey sports betting as beloved as it is is the fact that there are chances to bet on a large selection of markets within the massive amount of sports to choose from. Bettors can rely on robust selections of prop betting markets and live betting to go along with the more traditional fare at sportsbooks.
While New Jersey sports betting is most commonly associated with Atlantic City, the ability to use an online sportsbook is a huge advantage to betting in this state. Just like NJ allows for the use of online casino apps, bettors are permitted to take to their mobile devices to place wagers on sports as well.
So far, New Jersey has one of the most impressive menus of sports betting apps to choose from. Compared to other states, New Jersey’s combination of online sports betting options from traditional gambling industry titans like Golden Nugget and Caesars has combined nicely with upstarts like DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and Fox Bet. New Jersey sports betting apps have been developed by a number of quality developers, including Kambi and SBTech.
Here is a list of the sports betting apps that are currently available to people in New Jersey.
Per the laws in New Jersey, online sports betting providers are required to obtain a license from a brick and mortar sportsbook operator in order to do business in the state. At times, you will often see the same lines at some New Jersey casinos as you will see on the sites they have granted licenses to. However, that is purely coincidence. The online sportsbooks with different branding do not operate in conjunction with their licensor in most cases.
In fact, bettors can usually shop for the best lines from app to app and physical location to physical location due to all of the options that exist. This is one of the many reasons New Jersey has such a strong reputation so early into its sports betting offering.
In addition to the high volume of NJ sports betting apps that are available, there are also a number of retail sportsbook locations that bettors can go to in order to place their bets. The bulk of these locations are Atlantic City casinos, as bettors are able to place bets on the boardwalk or in other locations throughout the city that has become the East coast’s answer to Las Vegas.
But bettors are able to wager on sports in places outside of Atlantic City also. With land-based sports betting action to be had in locations like East Rutherford and Monmouth Park sportsbook, there is a nice selection of options available for bettors who might not have immediate access to Atlantic City.
Along with the convenience of having numerous locations to choose from, bettors can also enjoy the fact that most of the sportsbooks in Jersey are run by established casino brands. Big names like Harrah’s and Caesars casino have been at the forefront of sports gambling in Jersey, along with locations like the Borgata and Meadowlands that have partnered with technology providers such as SBTech to create their sportsbook experiences.
Below is a list of the current physical locations that allow sports betting in New Jersey, along with the name of each of those sportsbooks within each casino.
The history of wagering on sports in New Jersey is one that saw the state lead many of the others in the country. Things really started in 2011, when then Gov. Chris Christie signed into law sports betting legislation. At that time, though, sports leagues did not want their products to be wagered on. They fought New Jersey, citing the previously passed PASPA, and were able to prevent legal land-based or online sports betting at that time.
Christie fought that decision, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, which declared PASPA unconstitutional in 2018. In June of that year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed Bill 4111 into law, which allowed for sports betting at physical locations such as Monmouth Park racetrack in Oceanport and Borgata. Murphy placed the first sports bet in state history, wagering on the New Jersey Devils in the symbolic gesture.
Since then, the combination of sports betting and daily fantasy sports have taken off in the state. With books such as PointsBet offering innovative new ways to bet on sports, and with many sportsbooks doing a good job of offering traditional wagers as well, there is certainly no shortage of quality options to choose from in the present chapter of sports betting throughout New Jersey.
There are some rules worth paying attention to when it comes to sports betting in New Jersey. Some of these rules are unique when compared to other states, while others fall in line with the legislation that has passed elsewhere around the country. Sports betting rules are enforced by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
The most important rule in New Jersey pertains to the online sportsbook and mobile sports betting industry. Just like previously passed online casino regulations, bettors have to be located within New Jersey’s borders in order to place bets. Location is verified by location services on mobile devices or via verification software on desktop computers.
Another noteworthy rule in New Jersey is one that has been seen mixed reaction around the country. That would be the prohibition of wagering on games involving New Jersey colleges. There are many states, such as Nevada, that have no such rule, while other states like New York also prohibit in-state college bets.
In New Jersey, there are not many high-profile Division I athletic institutions. However, Rutgers does play in one of the top athletic conferences in the NCAA, the Big Ten. The inability to bet their games can often mean being limited from betting on games featuring Ohio State, Michigan and other high-profile schools.
Also worth noting are some common sense components to the sports betting laws in New Jersey. Bettors must be 21 or older in order to place sports wagers in the state. Additionally, wagers on high school sporting events are not permitted, which is the case in many states with legalized wagering. Finally, to preserve the integrity of sporting events, those who are involved with the organization of games or with sports in general are not allowed to wager on sports. That includes referees, athletic staffs and anyone with a tie to the world of sports.
