Bill To Expand NJ College Wagers Moves Forward In Legislature

• SCR133, an amendment bill to the New Jersey sports betting law that would allow all college games to be open for wagers, is currently being heard in the New Jersey State Legislature.
• If the bill passes, voters in the state would have to be in favor of it with a majority vote taking place with their November 2021 ballots.
• New Jersey state law currently does not allow any in-state college teams to have wagers placed on their events or any college team whose event is happening within state lines.

TRENTON, N.J. – A proposal that would make gambling on various collegiate events in New Jersey a legal action has begun to move within the New Jersey State Legislature (NJLEG).

The present sports betting laws in the Garden State prohibit all wagers on college games occurring in their state as well as a total prohibition from betting on in-state school teams.

If this bill does not come to pass and there are no others like it in the future, it could pose a major problem for sportsbook operators in the state come 2025.

March Madness, the biggest event in college basketball, will be hosted at venues in New Jersey in 2025.

Local books receive tons of action which equates to tons of handle and profit from March Madness every year. But if it’s being held in New Jersey in 2025, no gambler in the state will be able to put any money on the games if Bill SCR133 does not come to pass and amend the present laws.

What Is Bill SCR133?

Bill SCR133 is a referendum style proposal because it calls for a constitutional resolution to make an amendment to the current law to get collegiate wagers legalized. Initially, back in October, this bill was geared toward purely playoff and championship games because lawmakers were thinking of the championships that New Jersey would be hosting like March Madness in 2025.

But that soon changed about a month later when it was reintroduced on Monday by sponsor, Senator Paul Sarlo, to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee where it was given the pass to move on through the required channels toward legalization. The changes as seen in the reintroduction were to allow all college games, not just post-season games to be open for bets for bettors in New Jersey.

“We got the blessing of the NCAA and the Attorney General’s Office and a lot of the teams so we figured why not just go for the whole thing?” said Sarlo.

If Sarlo’s bill receives passage through the House and Senate, New Jersey residents will see the question of legal college sports betting on their ballots in November 2021.

Should constituents vote in favor of the amendment then the Garden State would see all different kinds of colleges, hometown games included posted for bets at their local sportsbooks in 2022.

The Outlook For Legal NJ College Wagers

New Jersey sports betting revenue quickly rose to the top of all revenue streams for the economy statewide when the industry opened in the state in 2018.

In fact, sportsbooks have been the raft that Atlantic City has needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 closures. Adding all college games to the menu of offerings would only add to the potential for millions of dollars in extra revenue to the economy of the Garden State.

SCR133 still has a long way to go before it can be placed on the ballot for residents to vote on.

Lawmakers are hopeful that the bill will pass in the NJLEG and move to a public decision in the Fall of 2021. With New Jersey being the Las Vegas of the East Coast, it’s almost a lock that the people of the state would welcome the addition of these wagers at their local sportsbooks.

There are plenty of New Jersians out there that would love to place a bet or two on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights using bookies in New Jersey and keeping that potential revenue in their home state when doing it. No date has been placed on the calendar yet for when SCR133 will get its next hearing.

News tags: Atlantic City | COVID-19 | March Madness | NCAA | New Jersey | New Jersey State Legislature | NJ Attorney General’s Office | NJ Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee | NJLEG | Paul Sarlo | Rutgers | SCR133