Tuesday is a big day for sports bettors who are tired of the limitations on wagering on college events in New Jersey.
For the last three years, sports bettors in New Jersey, including New Yorkers who cross state lines to place legal bets, have not been allowed to place wagers on New Jersey college teams or college events that take place in New Jersey.
That could change on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 2) when New Jersey voters go to the polls and see Public Question 1 at the top of their ballots.
Preview Of The Sports Betting Amendment
The title of Public Question 1 is titled: Sports Betting On State College Athletics Amendment.
“CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PERMIT WAGERING ON ALL COLLEGE SPORT OR ATHLETIC EVENTS
Do you approve amending the Constitution to permit wagering through casinos and current or former horse racetracks on all college sport or athletic events?
Currently, wagering is prohibited on college sport or athletic events that take place in New Jersey. Wagering is also prohibited on an event in which a team from a New Jersey college participate.”
If it is passed, the ability to bet on such events would not immediately change. Rather, the amendment would allow the New Jersey state legislature to pass laws that permit betting on all college sports regardless of the teams involved and the location of the event.
If that happens, wagering would be permitted only through casinos and current or former horse racetracks.
Also Read: Hard Rock ponders not one, but two NYC-area casinos
Potential Benefits For New Jersey
New Jersey is already a national leader in sports betting, having surpassed the $1 billion threshold in amount of money wagered in September. That brought the state’s yearly total to $7 billion.
The state has done that despite the limitations on college sports betting that have existed since mobile sports betting launched in 2018. If New Jersey voters approve the amendment on Tuesday, the state could get an even bigger boost.
“The anticipated increase in sports wagering from lifting the ban would benefit the state through increased tax revenue,” said Jane Bokunewicz, who is the director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University. “The sportsbooks and their land-based casino partners would also benefit through increased betting activity…The ability to wager on hometown sports teams in New Jersey makes it more convenient for casual sports bettors, potentially increasing their participation in the local, legal sports betting market.”
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