In the movie Color of Money, Paul Newman’s character famously said, “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”
New Jersey made it possible for residents in states other than Nevada to experience this sensation. They led the fight against PASPA that prevented other states from having legal sports gambling. In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned PASPA. NJ acted quickly and got sports gambling up and running. Atlantic City was the biggest beneficiary as most sportsbooks are located there.
The biggest cities in are in the northern part of the state. Newark and Jersey City are both home to roughly over 300,000 people. This area mainly roots for the New York Giants or Jets, Yankees or Mets, Knicks or Nets and the New Jersey Devils. The southern part of the state usually roots for the Philadelphia teams.
Even if the Garden State is split on what professional teams they root for, New Jerseyans can all come together and agree on one thing; they love New Jersey. Whether it is for the love of gambling or seeing their state on top, Jersey has now surpassed Nevada as the state that generates the highest betting handle.
Yes, gambling is legal in New Jersey. On June 11th in 2018, Governor Phil Murphy officially signed Assembly Bill 4111. This allowed the current casinos in Atlantic City and racetracks across the state to accept legal sports wagering bets.
There are currently 24 online sportsbooks operating within NJ. Eleven brick-and-mortar locations are open in Jersey with eight of them being in Atlantic City. The others are in Monmouth Park, the Meadowlands and Freehold.
NJ has more than just sports betting legalized. They also allowing gambling on casino games and online poker. New Jersey has been an early innovator, legalizing casino betting back in 2013. With their commitment to being a major player in the gambling space, NJ has become the Las Vegas of the East.