New Jersey Sports Betting History

New Jersey is the most mature US sports betting market in the United States outside of the state of Nevada. The first NJ sports betting bill was introduced in 2012, long before the Supreme Court’s decision to rule that PASPA was unconstitutional. In 2012, then New Jersey Governor Chris Christie moved to allow sports betting in the state after signing legislation that had been previously approved in a referendum. However, the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act prevented New Jersey from offering sports betting inside the state and this led the state to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of the United States. After a long wait, on May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court issued its verdict on the Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association case. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was then ruled unconstitutional, which in turn allowed New Jersey and other states to start to offer sports betting. As soon as the PAPSA ruling was made, an updated New Jersey sports betting bill was signed into law.

The first retail sportsbook location launched in June 2018, and mobile betting was available for players in August that very same year. Since 2018, New Jersey has constantly competed as one of the top states each month in terms of total sports betting handle. New Jersey had its first $1 billion month in September 2021 and broke its own record the following month. Part of the reason for New Jersey’s immediate betting success was that it was able to attract customers from New York, which is one of the most populous states in the country.

Now that NY has legalized sports betting, it will be interesting to see how their monthly handle numbers take a hit.

NJ Sports Betting Costs & Licensing

From a cost and tax perspective, highlights of sports betting legislation in New Jersey include:

• Licenses for the casinos and racetracks cost $100,000 at issue.
• Internet gambling licenses have a price tag of $400,000 plus an additional $250,000 for responsible gaming fees.
• Each of the casinos and racetracks can have up to three online skins operating off of their license.
• Casinos pay 8.5% in taxes for land-based wagers and 13% for electronic wagers.
• Racetracks pay at the same rate plus an additional 1.25% for wagers placed online.
• All sports bets are subject to 0.25% in federal taxes.

 

New Jersey Betting Apps

New Jersey is one of the country’s most competitive markets, with about two dozen mobile apps available in the state. Below is a list of all current operators in NJ:

• Bet365
• SugarHouse
• WynnBet
• Superbook Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• BetMGM
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FOX Bet
• Barstool Sportsbook
• PlayUp
• Hard Rock Sportsbook
• Betway
• Borgata Sportsbook
• Tipico
• betPARX
• Golden Nugget
• Resorts Casino
• Twinspires
• Bet America

Each of these sportsbooks are a legal option and licensed to operate in the state of New Jersey, and the large majority of these have generous signup bonuses as well as promotional offerings.

Upcoming NJ Betting Sites

Below is a list of operators planning to go live in 2022, or early 2023:

• BallyBet Sports
• Fubo Sportsbook
• MaximBet
• LeoVegas Casino
• Playstar Casino
• Sporttrade

 

NJ Bonus Offers

Caesars Sportsbook:
Use Caesars exclusive promo code USGSPORT15 upon signup for a risk-free bet worth up to $1,500.

Your first bet must settle within 30 days of opening an account to be eligible for this promotion.

DraftKings Sportsbook:
Get a $50 bonus bet with a $5 minimum deposit, as well as a 20% deposit bonus up to $1,000 for qualified customers.

SugarHouse:
Use our Sugarhouse exclusive promo code THEUSG for a 2nd chance first bet up to $500, if your first bet loses.

SugarHouse matches with bonus money, so this must be played through, and cannot be immediately withdrawn. You have 30 days to use your bonus funds before they expire.

FanDuel Sportsbook:
FanDuel offers a no sweat 1st bet of up to $1,000 on initial bets for new customers. FanDuel will match your stake amount in the form of bonus bets if your first wager is graded as a loss. It is vital to realize that bonus bets are not equivalent to cash, and you will only keep the winnings on any wagers made using bonus bets. Customers will have to forfeit any unused portion of their bonus if it is not used within 14 days of being claimed.

Unibet Sportsbook:
Unibet offers a competitive signup offer for new users, a risk-free bet, up to $250. Users will be refunded in the form of bonus funds if their first bet loses after their initial deposit.

PointsBet Sportsbook:

NJ players can receive up to $2,000 in risk-free wagers. The bonuses are broken into a risk-free fixed odds bet of up to $500, and a risk-free PointsBetting bet of up to $1,500. Pointsbetting is a unique way to wager that allows for a bettor to win or lose based on the outcome of the game that goes further than a traditional moneyline, spread, or total bet. Winnings and losses can be amplified because of the unique structure of PointsBetting, so be sure to do some research on this model of wagering before diving in head-first.

NJ Betting FAQs

Where can you place a sports bet in New Jersey?

New Jersey was the first state to accept legal sports bets outside of Nevada when PAPSA was thrown out in 2018. Outside of online sportsbooks, there is a retail location inside every single casino and horse track in the state. As long as you are 21 years old, and physically within state lines, there is no shortage of opportunities to place a sports wager in New Jersey.

What can you wager on in New Jersey?

Although you can place bets on collegiate teams in New Jersey, you cannot wager on any in-state school, regardless of where they are playing. New Jersey Division I schools that are not allowed to be bet on include: Rutgers, Monmouth, Saint Peter’s, Towson, Princeton, Rider, Seton Hall, Farileigh Dickinson and NJIT. Additionally, any college games that take place inside of NJ are not available to wager on.

All other major sports and leagues are available for betting in New Jersey.

Outside of traditional sports betting, New Jersey also allows horse betting as well as daily fantasy sports contests. New Jersey is home to Freehold Raceway, Meadowlands Racing, and Monmouth Park, all locations that you can place in-person wagers at. Users can also wager on approved apps such as NJBets.

Professional Sports teams in New Jersey

NHL

New Jersey Devils

While there is only technically 1 Major league sports team that plays in New Jersey, there are three other New York metropolitan teams that also play their home games in The Garden State:

NFL

New York Jets & New York Giants

MLS

New York Red Bulls

 

Outside of traditional sports, New Jersey is also home to the Meadowlands Racetrack, one of two major harness racing tracks in North America. New Jersey is positioned between the major metro areas of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, so there is a ton of rooted interest in the major sports teams that play in these cities. Out of state teams that draw plenty of betting interest in New Jersey include:

MLB- New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies

NBA- Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers

NFL- New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

NHL- New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers

 

Overall, there are more than two dozen mobile sportsbooks to choose from. All major sports and leagues are available to bet on in NJ, with the exception of in-state college teams and college games that take place inside NJ. Anyone over the age of 21 that is physically located in New Jersey can access online mobile sportsbooks. There is no betting on high school sports or on events where athletes are under the age of 18.