A Garden State lawmaker is once again attempting to add in-state college teams to its NJ sports betting menu.
Assemblyman Michael Venezia introduced Friday constitutional amendment ACR140.
It would permit NJ sports betting wagers “through casinos and current or former horse racetracks on all college sport or athletic events.”
As it stands, New Jersey bettors have to go out of state, or to the illegal offshore market, to place wagers on teams like Rutgers University and Seton Hall University.
Previous NJ sports betting bid failed
In November 2021, 57% of NJ voted no to rejecting a constitutional amendment to permit sports betting on state college athletics. At the time, the rejection was predicted by the polls.
“I lobbied hard to get this on the ballot, but I couldn’t convince the industry to wage a campaign,” said NJ lobbyist Bill Pascrell III said at the time.
“I am not at all surprised that it failed. All polling showed it upside down. It failed because not many voters knew it was on the ballot and many also didn’t understand the question. This is unfortunately a missed opportunity for the industry that can’t be revisited for three years.”
NJ sports betting issues due to ban
In March 2022, BetMGM paid a $25,000 fine for taking less than $100 worth of bets on prohibited New Jersey college basketball games.
NJ bettors missed out on betting some local March Madness stories including Princeton in 2023 and St. Peter’s in 2022.
The Rutgers men’s basketball team could be an intriguing NCAA market all year, though. Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are projected to be two of the top-three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Nationwide NCAA player prop ban?
NCAA president Charlie Baker has been at the forefront in trying to eliminate player prop betting markets on college student-athletes nationwide.
Baker seeks to curtail harassment and student-athletes wagering on themselves.
The NCAA would also like to see the illegal offshore market eliminated as well.
