As NFL betting season nears, New Jersey state regulators are warning users about the harms of utilizing illegal offshore sites.
The state attorney general’s office and the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement urged customers in a Friday news release to stay away from illicit sports betting and daily fantasy sports operators.
NFL betting begins to ramp up this week with the first game Thursday night.
Visit NJ site before doing NFL betting
New Jersey regulators want users to visit the state’s official DGE website to look for legal sports betting and DFS operators.
In July, the Garden State was one of seven jurisdictions to reach out to the Department of the Interior in a joint letter, urging a crackdown on illegal offshore operators.
“The problems with illegal sportsbooks are numerous,” DGE Director David Rebuck said in a statement. “They lack oversight to ensure customers are actually paid what they won as well as security protocols to safeguard sensitive personal and financial information, like Social Security numbers and bank data.”
Do NFL betting at legal sportsbooks
State regulators say illegal sites may lack:
- Operational and financial controls
- Proper and timely payment processing
- Dispute resolution processes
- Transparent ownership
- Anti-money laundering controls.
Stay away from offshore betting sites
The news release also offered potential warning signs that customers are on an illegal site:
- Accepting deposits or making payments in cryptocurrency and Bitcoin.
- Offering bets on political contests, which are not approved by DGE as events for sports wagering.
- Charging fees for processing deposits or withdrawals.
- Advertising bonuses and promotions that seem too good to be true.
- Operating without a “.com” or using a domain from outside the United States.
NJ wagering stats before NFL betting
Total sports betting handle in the Garden State reached $587 million in July, good for a 10% increase month-over-month from last year.
NJ bettors wagered $866.7 million last September before handle passed $1 billion for the next for months:
- October: $1.060 billion
- November: $1.102 billion
- December: $1.056 billion
- January: $1.082 billion
