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Sports betting is legal in 23 states and Washington, DC. Eleven more states have either passed laws to legalize it or have sports betting laws under consideration.
It’s no wonder when you look at the amount of revenue sports gambling produces for states. People spend billions on sports betting.
You can thank the State of New Jersey for legalized sports betting in the United States. The state opened the door to betting on sports in New Jersey and across the country.
Do you want to know more about sports betting laws in New Jersey? Read on to find out the ins and outs of casino sports betting in the Garden State.
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Sports Betting Laws in New Jersey
To fully understand the sports betting laws in New Jersey, let’s take a trip back in time. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people loved to bet on sports.
Horse racing was a huge deal. Betting on baseball became so big that the mafia would invest a lot of time and energy to “influence” results.
People also feared that gambling attracted the wrong crowd, the same way that alcohol did. In 1860, most forms of gambling became illegal, including casino sports betting.
Horse racing remained legal, only because it appealed to the upper class. Since it was so sophisticated, it remained legal. The only thing that was illegal was that you couldn’t bet across state lines.
For instance, if you lived in New York, you couldn’t bet on horse races at The Meadowlands or Monmouth Park. You’d be betting across state lines.
That changed in 1978, with the passage of the Interstate Horse Racing Act. Remember those OTB commercials on TV in the late 1970s and 1980s?
OTB means off-track betting. If gamblers couldn’t make it to the track or they wanted to bet on races outside of the state, they could do that.
They just had to show up at an OTB kiosk and place their bets.
Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association
Sports betting wasn’t as fortunate as horse racing. It was targeted by legislators and finally, New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley did quite a bit to make sports betting illegal in most states.
He sponsored the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which became known as the Bradley Act in 1992.
The Bradley Act didn’t outlaw sports betting. What it did was prevent new states from offering sports betting. At the time, Nevada was the only state where sports betting took place.
States had the choice to opt-in to allow sports gambling before the Bradley Act took effect. Most didn’t. Montana, Delaware, Nevada, and Oregon were the only states to do so.
Sports betting remained a controversial issue for many states. In New Jersey, it became a hot topic and many people wanted to open up the state to casino sports betting.
This would help the economy of Atlantic City and the sports industry in the state. A referendum passed in 2011 to legalize betting on sports in New Jersey.
The problem of the Bradley Act remained. So, the State of New Jersey challenged the law in court. It made its way to The Supreme Court in 2018.
In a landmark decision, the Court decided in favor of Governor Murphy and the State of New Jersey. That made it possible for New Jersey to legalize sports betting.
Governor Murphy signed a law allowing sports gambling in New Jersey a few weeks later. That allowed for both in-person and online sports betting.
The popularity of sports betting grows each month. New Jersey just had its first $1 billion month from sports betting.
Sports Gambling in New Jersey Tips
Are you ready to start your sports betting world now that you know the sports betting laws in New Jersey? The first thing you need to do is be in New Jersey.
Online sports betting and in-person betting have to take place in New Jersey. You can’t be in New York or Pennsylvania and place bets at a sports book in New Jersey.
Each state has its own laws regarding sports betting. As long as you’re present in the state, you can place sports bet.
The next thing you have to do is find a sports book. The key is to find a sports betting outlet that’s registered to operate in New Jersey.
You want to have the convenience of online and mobile sports betting. Do your research on different sports books in New Jersey. Read reviews and check how they come up with sports betting odds.
The next step is to choose your sport. Do you want to bet on football, baseball, basketball, or hockey? The best sports books give you plenty of opportunities to bet on a wide range of sports.
One of the biggest mistakes that novice sports bettors make is that they bet on their favorite teams.
Long-suffering Jets fans might not want to bet on the Jets, even with a big point spread. The Giants haven’t fared much better recently.
Don’t bet on emotion but use data. Look at the recent form of the teams playing. Take the injury reports and other external factors into account.
Sports betting is about probability. When you understand that and bet accordingly, you have a great chance to be successful.
A Guide to Betting on Sports in New Jersey
New Jersey is at the forefront of online sports betting and casino sports betting. Thanks to the tenaciousness of the people of New Jersey and its leaders, the sports betting laws make it legal.
If you plan on gambling in New Jersey, be sure to sign up at a reputable sports book and enjoy betting on sports.
Be sure to visit the home page of this site for more fun and helpful tips.
