The next step toward New Jersey’s march to the November ballot to allow betting on in-state NCAA Division I college sports teams was completed on Thursday.
The state Assembly passed SCR133 — with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 200 — to allow sports betting in New Jersey on in-state college teams and in-state college tournaments and events by a vote of 70-4 late Thursday afternoon.
It is now headed for a referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot, with language to be determined.
How We Got Here
On Tuesday, the state Assembly Budget Committee passed ACR 200 (with SCR133) by a 13-0 vote before today’s chamber vote.
Last week, the New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee voted unanimously (11-0) in favor of SCR 133. The full Senate voted in favor, 36-1, on June 3.
Currently, betting on sporting events inside the state or on games with any of the New Jersey college teams is prohibited. But with the Senate passing the bill, the issue is now on track to go to the November ballot for voters to decide whether betting on local teams should be allowed.
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The bill is the latest piece of legislation that would lift the betting ban on in-state teams. In May, ACR 200, which “permits sports wagering through certain off-track wagering facilities on any professional, collegiate, or amateur athletic competitions,” was passed through the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee by a 7-0 vote.
Market Should Benefit
New Jersey has numerous college teams and regularly hosts tournament events.
The state is home to eight NCAA Division I men’s and women’s programs: Rutgers, Seton Hall, Saint Peter’s, Rider, Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, NJIT and Princeton. Monmouth, Princeton and Rutgers have football teams.
The NCAA selected the Prudential Center in Newark to host the 2025 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
If voters decide to amend the state’s constitution and allow betting on in-state wagering, New Jersey’s sports betting market will continue to grow and flourish. The state is regularly at the top of sports betting handle charts. In 2020, New Jersey recorded the highest handle of any state, taking in $15.2 billion in wagers.
