Good news sports fans – NJ sports betting is up and running after the state was cleared to bet on sports!

• New Jersey Sports Betting Regulations College Football
• New Jersey Sports Betting Regulations Odds
• New Jersey Sports Betting

New Jersey’s new gambling laws stipulate that you must be 21 and older to participate in sports betting and with a few exceptions where 18 may be established as the stipulated minimum age, most other states are also expected to set an age limit of 21. Chapter 1407 (relating to sports wagering testing and controls – temporary regulations) address the standards all sports wagering systems and equipment must meet to.

Ever since the legalization of sports betting in New Jersey, casinos have been expanding their sportsbooks, while all-new sportsbooks have been popping up left, right and center. That’s a lot of sportsbooks.

The good news for you is that – as an experienced sports bettor myself – I’ve already taken the time to check them all out to deliver you an in-depth guide that will help you make a better decision regarding which sites to sign up to. DraftKings is my personal favorite that does absolutely nothing wrong, but it’s important that you weigh up the pros and cons.

In this article, I’m going to take a look at the top 5 NJ sports betting sites and their bonuses. I’ll also explain how sports betting in New Jersey works, how to bet on sports, and I’ll answer the most popular questions about NJ sports betting.

Online Sports Betting In New Jersey

How Online Sports Betting Works In New Jersey

NJ Sports Betting Launch

NJ sports betting was banned way back in 1992. It was finally legalized again in June 2018 after the first positive talks took place back in 2012. The following month (July 2018), there were 8 mobile apps available in the Garden State, as well as a pair of racetracks and several Atlantic City casinos.

By 2019, there were nine online casinos in New Jersey. Combined, they made over $3,000,000,000 in gambling revenue and continue to be regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

How To Bet On Sports?

Betting on sports is as easy as 1,2,3 once you know how.

The first thing you need to do is take a look at our list of sites at the top of this article and decide which one appeals to you. Then, create an account, make your first deposit, and grab the welcome bonus.

You’re then free to take a look at the sporting events and markets to see what catches your eye. If there’s a bet you like the look of, see what the odds are like. If there’s value to be had, it’s time to place your bet.

This is really simple. Just pick a stake (how much money you want to wager) and place the wager.

Don’t forget, you can also place an in-play bet, too, which is when you stake money on a sporting event that is currently happening. Some sites also let you cash out early as well.

Which New Jersey Casinos Have Sportsbooks?

BetStars

BetStars was created as an offshoot of PokerStars, which is an online casino available to New Jersey bettors.

BetStars uses a slightly different interface to PokerStars but, because it’s run by the same Stars Group company, you’re guaranteed a very high-class experience.

There are plenty of banking options to choose from, including eCheck and PayNearMe, while all the major sports are included in the sportsbook (soccer, NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA). You’ll also find a few more “niche” offerings here too, including cycling and tennis.

In-play is available, as is cashout, while the StarGroup lets you use a shared wallet across its casino and sportsbook. This is a huge benefit because it saves you from having to keep transferring money across.

Caesars

Caesars is not to be confused with Caesars Palace. Caesars is an entirely independent online casino available to New Jersey bettors that were one of the most recent to add a sportsbook. It now offers casino, poker, and sports betting opportunities, and all three are clearly labeled at the top of the homepage. With just one click of a button, you can flip between them.

It’s really cool that Caesars decided to add a sportsbook to both the desktop version of their site and their app. The lobby is easy to navigate and includes a whole host of sports, although most of the markets are reserved for the most popular ones – NBA, NFL, and MLB.

Props, teasers, futures, point spreads, and money lines are all available, but one thing that will disappoint some of you is that there are no cash-out or in-play features as of yet.

SugarHouse

The actual real-life SugarHouse casino is actually based in Philly, but the digital version calls the Garden State its home. It was one of the first online casinos in NJ to add a sportsbook to its app (which already featured almost 500 table games), and this is now one sweet, all-rounder of gambling experience.

With as many as 10 banking options available (although only four of them are withdrawal options), SugarHouse is the real deal. A jackpot parlay is among the numerous betting options, the lobby (which always looks busy) is very user friendly, and while there are lots of ads, cashout and in-play betting are available.

New Jersey Online Sports Betting Partnerships

An NJ sports betting site isn’t legal until it partners up with licensed operators in NJ.

Here are the partnerships currently in operation:

• DraftKings Sportsbook and Resorts Casino
• PointsBet and MeadowLands
• William Hill and Monmouth Park
• FanDuel Sportsbook and MeadowLands
• SugarHouse Sportsbook and Monmouth Park
• FOX Bet and Resorts Casino
• 888 Sport and Caesars Casino
• Borgata Sports and Borgata Casino
• Caesars Sports and Caesars Casino
• PlayMGM and Borgata Casino
• BetAmerica and Golden Nugget Casino
• Golden Nugget Sports and Golden Nugget Casino
• Hard Rock and Hard Rock Casino
• Resorts Sportsbook and Resorts Casino

What Can You Bet On Right Now In New Jersey?

Betting sites offer a variety of sports for you to bet on. But the exact sports that are available depend entirely on which site you sign up to. All the top online sportsbooks offer markets for the most popular sports, but some sportsbooks have more niche offerings than others.

Here are the sports you can stake money on right now in New Jersey:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• College basketball
• College football
• Football
• Hockey
• Ice hockey
• Soccer
• Golf
• Auto Racing
• Boxing/MMA
• Tennis
• Horse racing
• Cycling
• Darts
• Wrestling
• Handball
• Volleyball
• Cricket

Some sites also let you bet on reality TV shows and other entertainment, as well as politics. One or two sites offer markets for pinball, too, though this is much rarer.

What Bets Are Available At New Jersey Sportsbooks?

There are many different types of bets you can place at New Jersey sportsbook’s. All the top sites let you place a money line bet, which is the most popular type of bet. All you have to do is pick a sporting event and choose a team or player to win. That’s all there is to it!

The straight bet is the second most popular bet. It’s similar to the money line bet in that you bet on either the favorite or the underdog to win. However, the crucial difference is that the game carries a point spread.

For example, let’s say the Bears are playing the Packers, and that the Bears are 3- point favorites over the Packers. You need to bet the Bears via the odds, and they must win by 3 points or more for you to clinch the bet.

Total line bets are also available at New Jersey online sportsbooks. For this one, the sports betting site will take a look at a game and set a number for the total points accumulated by both teams jointly.

For example, let’s imagine the Raptors are playing the Warriors in the NBA. The sportsbook sets the total number of points at the end of the game to be 195. You as the bettor must then decide whether you think the total number of points accrued by both teams will be over or under that number.

Parlay bets are available at all NJ sportsbooks as well. This is a really fun bet where you bunch together 2 or more picks into the same wager. For example, you might bet on the Raptors, the Bucks and the Lakers all to win tonight. Each time you add a pick, the odds are adjusted. The more picks you have, the bigger your payout will be. If just one pick loses, the whole wager is a loss.

Taking Advantages of Bonuses and Rewards

New Jersey Sports Betting Regulations College Football

All NJ betting sites offer bonuses and rewards. But what do these look like?

• No deposit bonus – DraftKing is an example of a betting site that offers a no deposit welcome bonus. When you first create your account, they top your account up with $25. This is a risk-free wager that usually comes with a few terms and conditions (for example, you can only use it on certain sports).
• Matched first deposit bonus – When you make an initial deposit at a sportsbook, some sites will guarantee to match your deposit with a bonus. For example, if you deposit $50 straight off the bat, they’ll give you another $50. There’s usually a limit to the size of the matched deposit, but some sites offer as much to match first deposits as big as $1,000.
• Promotions – NJ sports betting sites offer numerous, ongoing promotions that are designed to increase the fun factor! However, each site runs its own promos, so if you’re a big fan of free spins, free bets, enhanced lines, and vine overtime insurance, it’s worth checking out the promotions that a specific site offers before signing up
• VIP programs – The more often you play at a sportsbook, the more you’ll get treated like a VIP. In other words, the sportsbooks like to reward loyal players by offering them points. It works like this: Each time you place a bet, you’ll accrue X amount of points. The bigger your stake, the more points you’ll get. Eventually, you can redeem the points for a free bet

New Jersey Sports Betting Laws

From 2018 onwards, when sports betting was legalized in New Jersey, casinos and racetracks are allowed to offer sports betting to anyone who’s aged 21 or over.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can place a bet on any site you want. As a New Jersey resident, you can only wager at sports betting sites that are legal in NJ. These include the ones we mentioned in our top 5 earlier in this article.

New Jersey Sports Betting FAQ

Is Sports Betting Legal In New Jersey?

Yes, it’s been legal since June 2018.

Where Can NJ Residents Start Placing Bets?

You can go to a brick and mortar casino or racetrack and place bets, or you can sign up to an online casino and/or sportsbook. The only condition is that the online casino or sportsbook must be legal in New Jersey.

How Old Do You Have To Be To Legally Bet In New Jersey?

21.

Is It Legal To Bet On Sports Teams?

It is if you’re betting with a fully-licensed casino or sportsbook, such as SugarHouse.

Do I Have To Live In New Jersey To Bet Online?

You don’t have to live in NJ to place a wager at a sportsbook that’s legal in New Jersey, but you do have to be there at the time.

Is Mobile Sports Betting Available In New Jersey?

Yes. Most of the top sites have mobile clients. Because mobile sports betting is becoming more popular than ever, you can expect the mobile experience to get better as the months pass.

Conclusion

NJ sports betting is 100% legal – and 100% a lot of fun. The next step is to choose a site you like the look of (I recommend DraftKings for its welcome bonus) before creating an account. Then, read through our “how to bet on sports” section again – and start placing your bets!

Sports betting laws in the United States are changing rapidly. While wagering on sports has long been an American tradition, many folks have been under the impression that the activity is largely against the law. Well, that used to be true; however, on May 14, 2018, the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992), lifting the ban on states being able to establish their own sports wagering industries. No longer does Nevada (primarily Las Vegas) have a monopoly on legal sports betting in the country and states are finally free to set up their own betting rules and regulations. Many already have.

Despite these positive developments, there are still federal laws on the book regarding sports wagering. The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 both remain in effect. Both are limited in their application to gambling operators physically located within the United States, so bettors are still able to freely gamble despite those laws. As sports betting continues to become a more widely accepted in American culture, these laws will undoubtedly evolve, and they will likely eventually be repealed. Although no American laws prevent you from gambling, it would still benefit you to learn about them. Information is power, after all.

PASPA – The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act

PASPA, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, was passed in 1992 and went into effect on January 1, 1993. This law, since its inception to its ultimate SCOTUS overturn, has long been the sole real hurdle for eager American sports bettors. In practice, PASPA essentially allowed Nevada to have a total monopoly on single-game sports betting (aka full-service sports betting or “Vegas-style” sports betting). Given the overwhelming popularity of sports betting in the US, PASPA was a financial catastrophe. Not only did the law basically bankrupt major casino districts like those in Atlantic City, NJ, and Biloxi, MS, PASPA actually cost the government (both state and federal) an estimated $400-500 billion a year in taxable expenditure. It is not a stretch to suggest that during the law’s existence (1992-2018), PASPA has cost the state hundreds of billions of dollars (if not trillions of dollars) in potential tax revenue. Of all the sports betting laws in the United States throughout its history, PASPA was by far the biggest, most obvious mistake.

During PASPA’s reign, Nevada – the only legal bastion for real sports wagering – was estimated to receive only 1-3% of the total sports betting handle turned by US bettors. The rest of that action was either going underground or being sent to offshore sportsbooks (which, despite PASPA and other US anti-gambling laws, were and are able to operate legally, as they are based overseas and outside of US jurisdiction). Naturally, PASPA has been something of a massive financial boondoggle for the US, and now that the law is overturned, there is hope that much of that action being sent overseas can be recovered and kept in the US economy. As for the lingering effects of PASPA? Good riddance to bad rubbish!

Read Our Article: What Is Papsa?

UIGEA – Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was written to deter US financial institutions from processing payments related to Internet gambling. Included in the SAFE Port Act 2006, the UIGEA is a provision that requires banks and other payment processors to monitor designated payment systems such as cards, checks, and bank wires for “restricted transactions”, While the UIGEA will make it more difficult when using your Visa or MasterCard to make a deposit at an online sportsbook, there are certain sites that have higher success rates than others. Like most federal sports betting laws, the UIGEA only applies to businesses and not the individuals placing bets.

While the UIGEA sounds scary and intimidating, it doesn’t actually do much to stop “unlawful Internet gambling”. That’s probably because most of the gambling it actually addresses isn’t unlawful in the first place, given that offshore sportsbooks accessible over the Internet do not constitute illegal bookmakers. The law is further neutered by the advent of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which allow bettors to fund their accounts and receive payouts without ever going through a banking service on either end. All in all, the UIGEA is the poster child for ineffective legislation to address nonexistent problems. Hopefully, the law will be eradicated in due time, but until then, if you ever have a card declined while trying to fund your sports betting account, simply wait a bit and try again, use a different card (like an Internet Visa prepaid/gift card), or just use Bitcoin or another supported altcoin. Indeed, there is some debate about the origin of Bitcoin itself, with many analysts claiming that the catalysts for its creation were the strict sports betting laws in the United States.

Read Our Article: What Is The UIGEA

RAWA – The Restoration of America’s Wire Act

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act, or RAWA, was designed to strengthen and broaden the Wire Act after the DOJ ruled in 2011 that the law only applied to sports betting. While this received some notable support in the legislature after its initial proposal in 2014 (co-sponsored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Utah representative Jason Chaffetz), the bill gained no support and never advanced.

The necessity for RAWA, in effect, at least temporarily obviated when the DOJ, in 2018, reversed course, stating that the original Wire Act did indeed apply to all common forms of gambling. This, it seems, has deprioritized the issue, albeit a DOJ statement is not nearly as binding as an official law (and, as shown, can be reversed at any time). Lobbyist and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson was the main driving force behind RAWA, as online gambling threatens his land-based casino interests.

The Interstate Wire Act

The Interstate Wire Act (also called the Federal Wire Act, the Interstate Anti-Crime Act, or simply the Wire Act) was a piece of legislation signed into law in 1961 by former president John F. Kennedy at the behest of his brother Robert F., who was the US Attorney General at the time. Sold to the public as a means to stop the proliferation of mafia-related numbers rackets across state borders, the real impetus for the very first of the US sports betting laws was to stop sports gambling and underground lotteries from competing with state-sanctioned lotteries. Naturally, the states could not abide competition in this arena, as their own lotteries provided huge amounts of income to fund their programs and schemes.

The way that the Wire Act seeks to curb unlawful interstate gaming is to make it illegal to use wire communications (hence the law’s name) to accept sports wagers or other kinds of bets over things like telephones and telegraph systems. Indeed, semaphore is even outlawed! Naturally, with the advent of the Internet, this new communications form, traveling over wires, was also covered by the Wire Act, as is wireless wagering in our modern times. In 2011, the US DOJ stated that the Wire Act applied only to sports wagering. However, in 2018, the same US DOJ stated that the Wire Act does in fact apply to other forms of gambling, as well.

The only real effect of the Wire Act now, however, is that it prevents residents in one state from picking up the phone or logging onto the Internet to place a sports bet in another state. This is called geo-fencing, and even the casino and sports betting apps in Nevada are bound by GPS to only allow those physically in the state to place wagers. This problem, of course, doesn’t exist with legal offshore sportsbooks, as they operate entirely outside of the reach of US laws, and the Wire Act conveniently applies only to bookies, not individual bettors. That’s why these overseas books exist and continue to thrive.

Read Our Article: What Is The Wire Act?

Proposed Federal Gambling Laws

There is one particular sports betting law that is in the works, although it has not been officially filed as of yet. Back in September of 2019, US Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitt Romney began working on a form of legislation with the goal to create federal standards or guidelines for states who plan to regulate sports betting in the future. Currently, in the US, sports betting is handled on a state by state basis, making the rules vary drastically from one state to another. The proposed bill would make a unified sports betting set of rules that any state who regulates sports betting would then follow. Schumer initially tried to create a similar sports betting law earlier in the year but was ultimately a waste as the bill went nowhere. This newer proposed bill has more potential going forward, however.

Potential For Similar Laws In The Future

Will there ever be a PASPA style law passed in the future within the United States? The likeliest of answers is no. The US has lived both in a PASPA world and a post-PASPA world and the economy has thrived in one more than it has in the other. Sports betting will always be something that Americans participate in. To ban it would only be hurting the country and the revenue it gains from the industry. It wouldn’t hurt the consumer as there are outside outlets to gamble are sporting events that are completely legal.

The only difference if another ban were to occur would be the US not profiting from those outlets the way they do in a post-PASPA world with their own platforms, which is why it would be highly unlikely that any legislation would pass like that of PASPA in the future. That’s not to say that there won’t be proposals that will come along as some people will always be opposed to legal sports betting but to go as far as becoming a law again, a betting man would wager on the side of “No.” The legal sports wagering industry is just too lucrative in the US to ever be banned again.

New Jersey Sports Betting Regulations Odds

GAME Act – Gaming Accountability and Modernization Enhancement Act

Introduced by Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), the GAME Act was intended to effectively repeal and replace PASPA. Introduced in 2017 as HR 4530, the GAME Act sought to return to the states their rights to legislate their own sports betting rules. There were other considerations involved, namely a passage codifying daily fantasy sports (DFS) as “gambling,” which the DFS lobby is vehemently against. Needless to say, the Supreme Court overturn of PASPA temporarily derailed the GAME Act, though it may come about if the federal government wishes to regulate gaming nationwide. Hopefully, the states – which all now have total gambling sovereignty – will resist any efforts to bring sports betting back under the umbrella of the US government.

New Jersey Sports Betting

Read Our Article: What Is The GAME Act?

Sports Betting Laws By State

Most states (all of them except Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware) used to be bound by the same sports wagering prohibitions set forth by PASPA. However, now that each state is free to make its own rules for wagering on athletic contests, you can expect a host of divergent laws to apply, depending on where you are. Analyzing the sports betting laws by state is something that you will have to do if you plan on hitting the road to do some sports wagering in the future. But that’s OK, because – while the laws might vary a bit – all the states with sports betting (or those pending sports betting legislation) will generally follow the same mold. In most cases, you can expect the legal minimum age to bet on sports at these venues to be 21, and you can expect land-based wagering to launch before Internet sports betting follows suit.

If you don’t want to do the research and just want to get to the bets, however, you should use a legal offshore sportsbook. These sites operate in all 50 states (with very limited exceptions, in the case of Bovada), and they’re as good as or better than any land-based venue you’re likely to come across. Really, the only reason to bet on sports at a brick-and-mortar book is to soak up the ritzy atmosphere of the casino and to watch the games in its sports betting lounge. If you simply want to wager and get on with your day (or night), then don’t worry about any sports betting laws in the United States and simply sign up at an overseas Internet sportsbook.

States With Legal Sports Betting (Land-Based)

• Nevada
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Mississippi
• West Virginia
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• New Mexico
• Arkansas
• New York
• Iowa
• Oregon
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Montana
• Michigan
• Colorado (pending)
• New Hampshire (pending)
• North Carolina (pending)
• Connecticut (pending)
• Washington DC (Pending)
• Washington (Pending)

States With Legal Sports Betting (Online)

• Nevada
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Iowa
• Oregon
• Indiana
• Rhode Island
• New Hampshire
• Colorado
• Illinois (pending)
• Delaware (pending)
• Tennessee (pending)
• Michigan (pending)

States Currently Considering Sports Betting Legalization

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Kansas*
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland*
• Massachusetts*
• Missouri
• Ohio*
• South Dakota*
• Virginia*

* States that gave legal sports betting a serious consideration and are expected to be the next wave of sports betting legalization.