New Jersey voters have voted against a ballot measure that would have allowed the state’s sportsbooks to offer odds on college sporting events involving in-state teams.
With 97.5% of the precincts already reporting results, the local New Jersey press reported that 57% of voters said no to the ballot question. However, another ballot measure that would allow nonprofits to use the money they collect from games of chance to support their operations was approved by 64% to 36%.
This means that the current restrictions that allow New Jersey gamblers to wager only on college sports that take place out of the state will remain in effect.
New Jersey failed to include betting on college sports in its original referendum on sports betting. At the time, lawmakers were worried that students athletes would be approached to fix games or throw games in return for money. However, since then the NCAA has allowed athletes to be paid for endorsements, a move that legislators feel could limit the potential for gambling to influence a player’s performance.
According to reports, the ballot measure could have seen the state increase taxes by a significant amount as local gamblers tend to bet heavily on college sports involving out of state teams.
New Jersey sportsbooks set a new monthly record in September as gamblers placed more than $1 billion in wagers throughout the month. This made the state the first to break the $1 billion threshold in a single month.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.