Guide to Online Gambling in New Jersey: The Best New Jersey Gambling Sites for 2019

Sports Betting in New Jersey

In 2012 New Jersey became famous for its fight to legalize sports betting. In June 2012, the New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill, which allowed sports betting in the state. However, the NCAA, the NBA, the NFL and other athletic leagues filed a lawsuit against New Jersey claiming that allowing sports gambling is illegal based on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which banned sports betting in the states. In 2013, the United States District Court Judge Michael Shipp ruled in favor of the athletic leagues, prohibiting New Jersey from issuing sports betting licenses. Nevertheless, in 2017 New Jersey took its case to the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled in its favor in 2018. The state moved on with its plan to legalize sports betting and officially did so on June 11, 2018. Since then, the state has issued various licenses for online sports betting and even more, operators are expected to join the online sports gambling market in 2019.

Gambling Laws in New Jersey

Home of Atlantic City, New Jersey is one of the states with the least restrictive gambling laws – Pennsylvania being the main competitor, as we described in our PE gambling article. The gambling history of the state is also marked by its first brick-and-mortar casino opening in 1978. However, one of the biggest expansions of the gambling industry came with the legalization of online gambling. In January 2011, the politician Raymond Lesniak sponsored a bill to allow online gambling to New Jersey residents over the age of 21. The legislation specified that all servers operating gambling websites had to be located in Atlantic City. However, Lesniak also tried to evade a few possible legal prohibitions by suggesting that the Casino Control Commission had to create regulations to ensure that bets were placed from inside the state only. Nevertheless, Governor Chris Christie vetoed the bill stating that not every bet placed in New Jersey should be considered an Atlantic City bet.

After long discussions, a new legislation was drafted, allowing only businesses located in Atlantic City to advertise online gambling and to use their facilities for such activities. A new bill permitting online gambling was eventually signed by Chris Christie on February 26, 2013. The new law legalizes online gambling in New Jersey for a trial period of 10 years.According to our data, the online gambling industry has so far paid millions of dollars in taxes and is proving to be beneficial for the state’s economy. Similar results are expected from the sports betting legalization, which became official on June 11, 2018.

Daily Fantasy in New Jersey

In August 2017, New Jersey became the 16th state to formally legalize Daily Fantasy Sports. In July 2017, the state’s legislature passed a bill that legalized and regulated paid-entry Daily Fantasy Sports. After a period of consideration, Governor Chris Christie signed the bill into law. The Daily Sports legalization was positively accepted by the sports fans as it protects their rights and creates a secure gambling environment. Various operators initially applied for a permit to operate within the state. Nowadays, players have a number of online Daily Fantasy sites available to choose from. To help you select the best operators, we have listed the finest Daily Fantasy sites below:

Online Casinos in New Jersey

As we mentioned above, the online casino gambling in New Jersey has been legal since February 26, 2013. The new law, however, contains some rather specific terms such as the fact that the legalization is initially valid for a 10-year trial period and that only casinos located in Atlantic City are allowed to operate online casinos sites. Nevertheless, the new law proved to be successful and various operators have received their licenses to run gambling sites. New Jersey currently has the richest online gambling market in the nation and players have the option to choose among a great variety of online operators. To help you pick the finest online casino in the state, we have listed the best operators below:

Online Poker in New Jersey

Online poker in New Jersey became officially legal on February 26, 2013, when Governor Chris Christie authorized online gambling. Various renowned poker websites showed interest in participating in the state’s gambling market and applied for permits to operate. A few regulated New Jersey poker websites launched on November 21, 2013. Nowadays, players have the option to choose among some of the most popular online poker operators. To help you make the best choice, however, we have listed the best poker websites in New Jersey:

New Jersey Lottery

The New Jersey Lottery has been officially running since 1970 and currently offers 8 draw games. In 2016, the state made its first steps towards the creation of an official online lottery. Governor Chris Christie signed the lottery bill even though it initially did not attract much attention. In fact, what the state actually legalized was an authorized lottery courier service, able to deliver tickets bought online. However, the legal text also implies the operation of online lottery services. Nevertheless, New Jersey has not yet launched an official lottery website. According to recent information there is a project in discussion and online lottery might be available by 2020.

History of Gambling in New Jersey

We have already discussed the gambling laws in New Jersey, but did you wonder how it all went down? The state’s gambling history began back in 1870 when the first racetrack opened at Monmouth Park. However, this event only marked New Jersey’s long journey to becoming one of the states with the most successful gambling industry. To help you follow and understand the full history of gambling in New Jersey, we have prepared a timeline with the main legal gambling changes that the state has gone through:

New Jersey State Facts

New Jersey has some of the least restrictive gambling laws in the United States and is the home of the popular gambling destination Atlantic City. The state has undoubtedly gone through a long journey since it opened its first racetrack back in 1870. Nowadays, the residents of New Jersey have the third-highest income in the US and it cannot be denied that the gambling industry has had a positive effect on the state economy. To help you understand better the state’s development and the effect that the gambling industry has had on it, we have stated the most important facts about New Jersey in the table below:

Gambling Age in New Jersey

New Jersey might one of the most modern and developed states in terms of gambling, but it still follows the United States’ strict gambling age limitation. According to the state’s laws, a person must at least 21 years old to be legally allowed to gamble at a casino in New Jersey. However, minors can still enter a casino as long as they restrain themselves from gambling, remaining on the gambling floor and drinking alcohol. Anyone caught violating the underage gambling restriction shall be required to pay a fine between $500 and $1000 and might face a six-month driving license suspension in addition to further legal consequences. Meanwhile, anyone interested in lottery and horserace gambling must be at least 18 years old. In the table below, you can find further information about the New Jersey minimum age restrictions.

• Online Gambling Age:
  A person must be over +21 years old in order to gamble at the casinos and the online casinos in New Jersey.
• Alcohol Age
  A person must be at least +21 years old in order to be legally allowed to purchase and consume alcohol in New Jersey
• Weed Age
  The recreational use of marijuana in currently illegal in New Jersey. The supposable age for medicinal use of cannabis is +21.

Responsible Gambling and Addiction Prevention

Being one of the states with the most developed gambling industry New Jersey understands that in certain occasions gambling might start causing problems in a person’s life. In order to treat and prevent gambling addiction, the state has established various specialized organizations. The National Council of Problem Gambling is offering a list of options for immediate help to people affected by gambling problems. Additionally, the Council on Compulsive Gambling in New Jersey can also offer and recommend special localized therapy.

Upcoming Regulation and Expected Changes

As we have established in our legal paragraph, New Jersey has gone through various legal gambling changes in the last few years. Currently, the state has successfully running online casinos, online poker, sports betting websites and Daily Fantasy league. Even though unconfirmed, the New Jersey is also planning the launch of an official online lottery by 2020.

• Pennsylvania
• New York
• Delaware
• Connecticut