Industry
| On 3 years ago

New Jersey Voters Nix Notion To Allow Betting On State College Teams, Games

In the end, it was a blowout.

With over 97% of precincts reporting, the collegiate sports betting ballot question in New Jersey — which would have allowed state bettors to wager on college games taking place in New Jersey, as well as allowing bettors to bet on New Jersey collegiate teams, no matter where the event was taking place — was soundly defeated, with 56% of voters rejecting the idea.

This result — which the Associated Press has deemed official — hewed closely to a recent poll from Stockton University, which showed 51% of voters against the idea, with a mere 37% supporting it. (At least pollsters got one thing right in the Garden State Tuesday.) Hence, you can forget about betting on Rutgers, Seton Hall, or any other New Jersey college team, at least if you plan on doing so within the state borders.

So why is this happening? One thought, by noted professional gambler and Jersey resident Capt. Jack Andrews, is because New Jerseyans are tired of the constant advertising barrage by sportsbooks.

Pre-PASPA

Of course, New Jersey residents are not naifs when it comes to sports betting. After all, a decade ago — well before PASPA was repealed — New Jersey voters, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, approved a statewide ballot question that would allow sports betting in the state. It passed in all 21 counties, and obviously directly led to the world we live in today.

At the time, legislators said they left college betting on in-state games or teams off the eventual bill in an effort to make sure it passed. And while 13 other states now have zero restrictions on collegiate betting and collegiate athletes can sell their name and likeness, New Jersey voters, for whatever reason, decided to nix the idea of betting on in-state collegiate sports. 

Silver lining? At least Rutgers football fans won’t add to their constant heartache.

Photo: Shutterstock

Jeff Edelstein

Jeff is a veteran journalist, working as a columnist for The Trentonian newspaper in Trenton, NJ for a number of years. He's also an avid sports bettor and DFS player. He can be reached at jedelstein@bettercollective.com.