NJ Sports Betting Starts Today: Gov. Murphy Places First Bet

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy placed the first legal sports bet in New Jersey as the popular practice that's already an active industry across America finally arrived in the state – without penalty – on Thursday.

Murphy placed the first sports bet at 10:30 a.m. at Monmouth Park Racetrack, 175 Oceanport Avenue, in Oceanport.

The governor placed two $20 bets, going with Germany to win the 2018 World Cup. He also bet on the New Jersey Devils to win the 2019 Stanley Cup.

Senate President Steve Sweeney will also joined in the inaugural event to launch sports betting in Atlantic City’s casinos when he placed the first bet in the opening day activities at the Borgata Casino at 11 a.m.

The Borgata was the first New Jersey casino to open a sports betting parlor. Also participating was basketball legend Julius Erving.

A life-long fan of the Green Bay Packers, Sweeney placed his bet on the Packers to win next year’s Super Bowl.

“The betting system and the regulatory oversight will protect and promote the integrity of sports gaming,” said Sweeney. “We have experience with the casino industry in maintaining a gaming system that has the trust and respect of everyone, including those who place their wagers. New Jersey has been a role model and that will continue as we lead the way on this new sector of gaming.”

Murphy signed the long-awaited bill into law on Monday that allows sports betting at New Jersey casinos and racetracks for certain professional and collegiate sports or athletic events.

“We’re finally making the dream of legalized sports betting a reality for New Jersey,” said Murphy.

“I’m thrilled to sign Assembly Bill 4111 because it means that our casinos in Atlantic City and our racetracks throughout our state can attract new business and new fans, boosting their own long-term financial prospects," he said. "This is the right move for New Jersey and it will strengthen our economy.”

Under the legislation:

• A licensed casino or racetrack may accept wagers at a sports wagering lounge at its respective premises, and can petition to operate a sports pool at a temporary facility during the construction of a sports wagering lounge.
• Licensed casinos and racetracks can seek to operate an online sports pool beginning 30 days after the effective date of the bill.
• Individuals placing wagers must be at least 21 years of age.
• Athletes, coaches, referees, and other persons with potential influence or access to non-public information regarding sporting events, are prohibited from placing bets on sporting events overseen by the league in which they participate.
• Wagers cannot be placed on high school sporting events or collegiate athletic events taking place in New Jersey or involving New Jersey teams.

The bill authorizes the Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Racing Commission to issue emergency regulations for a period of up to 270 days to govern sports betting. These regulations are to allow for already-licensed casinos and racetracks to apply for a transactional waiver that will enable them to commence sports betting.

The estimated state tax revenues that could be generated from sports betting are projected at approximately $13 million in the first full year of operation.

The bill signing comes a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the federal ban on sports gambling is unconstitutional, opening the door for New Jersey to finally allow sports betting after nearly a decade of trying.

The decision comes months after the Supreme Court heard the case challenging the constitutionality of a federal law that bans most states, including New Jersey, from sports betting. Ex-Gov. Chris Christie sat in the front row during the December hearing.

Justice Samuel Alito, a New Jersey native, delivered the majority opinion, saying "the legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make."

"Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own," he said. "Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the constitution."

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. Ginsburg wrote that Congress "permissibly exercised its authority to regulate commerce by instructing states and private parties to refrain from operating sports-gambling schemes."

Christie also released a statement on Twitter following the Supreme Court decision, saying: "I am proud to have fought for the rights of the people of New Jersey."

Sixty-three percent of New Jersey voters approved a measure to legalize sports betting to help declining gambling destinations, such as Atlantic City and Monmouth Park, seven years ago. But professional sports leagues challenged the measure, saying a federal law passed in 1992 that bans state sports betting with some exceptions.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act made it unlawful for a state to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, license, or authorize by law sports wagering.

Four states were exempted from the law – Nevada, Montana, Delaware, and Oregon. Christie took the case to the Supreme Court after New Jersey tried to pass a new law in 2014, and met the same resistance.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Racing Commission will have responsibility for licensing and will promulgate regulations for the conduct and operation of the sports wagering activities. The New Jersey Racing Commission would also be involved in approving the operation of a sports pool at a racetrack.

Bill sponsors include Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling, John J. Burzichelli, Joann Downey, Ralph R. Caputo, Raj Mukerji, Paul D. Moriarity as well as Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senators Jeff Van Drew and Vin Gopal.

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