NJ Bill To Allow Betting On Non-Sport Competitions Advances

• A new bill proposed to the New Jersey Senate could bring entertainment betting, competitive eating betting, and more into the legal territory, while limiting esports betting.
• The bill has support from Sen. Jim Beach and Chris Brown and aims to loosen the definition of “sports event” to include any skill-based attraction.

TRENTON, N.J. – The regulated betting landscape in New Jersey could be widening its horizons even more in the near future.

Senators in the Garden state are looking to pass a bill that would legitimize betting on entertainment events like The Oscars, and sports-like eating contests at state-regulated platforms.

Currently, betting on these contests is not permitted at these platforms, but Senator Jim Beach (D-6th) and Chris Brown (R-2nd) are looking to change that with the passing of this new bill.

The bill would loosen the legal definition of what constitutes a sporting event to include any sort of skill-based attraction.

This would include award competitions like the Oscars and Grammys, as well as certain events like competitive eating contests. These types of events were previously not included under New Jersey sports betting law.

The bill has already earned support, and has earned the stamp of approval from the New Jersey Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

While NJ has previously allowed betting on the Oscars under special permission, this new bill would allow betting on all award shows without special permission from the Division of Gaming Enforcement.

While Oscars betting is now allowed at the majority of state-sponsored sports betting platforms, this new bill would make NJ one of the few that officially permit the practice.

Additionally, one of the bigger parts of the bill would be a limitation on esports betting for contests that included participants under the age of 18.

Due to the nature of esports, many of the competitors are underage. This has created problems within the gambling industry, since betting on high school sports and athletic events containing minors, in general, is not a permitted practice.

The bill would limit betting on any esports event containing minors, and would have the sportsbooks work harder to monitor their esports offerings for this reason in order to avoid corruption.

While betting on esports continues to be a growing industry, there is much to be discovered about the nature of betting on the sport. This bill will work to help the overall esports industry while protecting the legitimacy of the sport and its participants.

News tags: Eating Contests | eSports betting | New Jersey | New Jersey sports betting | Oscars Betting | SB 2670