New Jersey gambling laws serve as a model for many U.S. states. New Jersey has embraced gambling like few other states in the Union. Even before the United States existed, the colony of New Jersey used a lottery to fund the French and Indian War. New Jersey’s contribution to the American Revolution was partially funded by a lottery. Monmouth Park, the Oceanport racetrack at the center of the US Supreme Court decision to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), opened in 1870.
While New Jersey’s legislature banned lotteries in 1844 and all gambling in 1894, gaming never really went away. Churches and other non-profit organizations funded projects through bookmaking, numbers games, and even slot machine betting. In 1939, the state legalized pari-mutuel wagering again. That was followed by the legalization of bingo gaming for non-profit organizations in 1953.
Yes. Online sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps are legal and widespread in New Jersey. All the Atlantic City casinos have sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps, or are in the process of creating them. Monmouth Park and William Hill operate a land-based sportsbook in Oceanport, as they intended before they were sued by the US sports leagues in October 2014 (thus leading to Murphy v. NCAA).
The best unregulated online bookmaker site for New Jersey gamblers is Bovada. First depositors receive a $250 welcome bonus when funding their account. Players make bets using American odds, fractional odds, or decimal odds. They can bet on point spreads, totals, or moneyline bets.
Bovada posts soccer odds from many global leagues in its live betting odds: MLS, the English Premier League (EPL), La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A (Italy), and the Bungesliga. From Latin America, Bovada covers bets on Primera Division (Costa Rica), Liga Nacional (Honduras), Primera Division (El Salvador), and Liga MX (Mexico).
Among regulated sportsbooks, Meadowlands Racecourse & Sportsbook in East Rutherford has a partnership with FanDuel. The New York City-based daily fantasy sports site even produces sports gambling-related content on its partner, Betfair’s, broadcasting channels, TVG and TVG2. It is the Meadowlands Racetrack which has the most lucrative sportsbook in the state.
Located just miles across the Hudson River from New York City, the Meadowlands sportsbook is accessible to 20 million potential sports bettors in the greater New York City metropolitan area. Until New York legalizes sports betting, New Yorkers will flock to Jeff Gural’s racetrack
Online casinos are legal, regulated, and licensed in New Jersey. Atlantic City casinos like Borgata, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock Atlantic City, and Caesars Atlantic City have their own licensed online casinos. Offshore online casino operators also accept New Jersey residents, though many iCasinos do not operate in New Jersey.
New Jersey online bettors who choose the unregulated gaming market can play at Cafe Casino. The site offers a $2,500 welcome bonus, which is as good as any in the US gaming market. Enjoy over 250 slots, including new games like Cyberpunk City, Desert Kingdom, or Demi Gods.
Yes. Atlantic City casinos have online poker sites. Resorts Casino, which partners with PokerStars, is the most successful licensed online poker room in the New Jersey gaming market.
New Jersey gamblers who delve into the unregulated offshore online poker market might consider Ignition Poker. When you make a first deposit at Ignition Poker, you’ll receive a 100% match bonus up to $1000. Weekly events include the $150K guaranteed poker tournaments, $100k guaranteed high roller events, and $2,500 freerolls, while the daily schedule features monster stack events, SNGs, and jackpot sit & go tournaments for mobile players.
Yes, most forms of gambling are legal in New Jersey, including online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks. The state has nine operating land-based casinos in Atlantic City, along with three racetracks with pari-mutuel betting. The New Jersey Lottery has Pick-3, Pick-4, 5-Card Cash, Pick-6, and Cash4Life drawings. The controversial Quick Draw (keno) still operates, while Instant Games are New Jersey’s version of scratch card games. Of course, Mega Millions and Powerball tickets are also sold.
Beyond that, New Jersey has legal land-based sportsbooks and live in-play sports betting apps. The Atlantic City casinos all run sportsbooks, while the racetracks also have their bookmaking operations. Brand name companies like 888 Sport, BetMGM, and William Hill all take sports bets in New Jersey, while former daily fantasy sports operators like DraftKings and FanDuel also have their sports wagering operations.
If you wish to place a bet on the lottery or on a pari-mutuel horse race, you’ll need to be 18 or older in New Jersey. The legal age for casino gamblers in New Jersey is 21 years or older. Land-based casino visitors can be younger than 21, but they cannot gamble, consume alcoholic beverages, or remain on the gambling floor.
Players under 18 may take part in amusement games (Dave & Buster’s, Chuck E. Cheese, Main Event) where the prize is an item (not cash). Also, New Jersey has no minimum age for social gaming. Online gamblers in the regulated poker site and casino site market must be 21, while those in the unregulated offshore online betting industry must be 18 or older.
Most forms of gambling are legal in New Jersey. Atlantic City is still a hub for land-based casinos and sportsbooks, and there are three pari-mutuel horse racing tracks around the state. The New Jersey Lottery offers a full suite of scratch-off, daily, and jackpot tickets.
Online gambling and mobile gaming apps are also now legal and regulated in New Jersey. Players can wager real money on sports, table games, slots, and poker from their own living rooms.
New Jersey allows most forms of gambling. Atlantic City has 9 land-based casinos. Those casinos are allowed to operate online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks. Their sportsbooks offer mobile sports betting apps.
Meanwhile, New Jersey has several operating pari-mutuel racetracks. Monmouth Park and Meadowlands Racetrack are the main racetracks in the state. These venues also have the right to offer sports betting.
Yes. New Jersey has nine land-based casinos operating at the moment — all in Atlantic City.
Borgata, which is owned by MGM Resorts, is the leading brick-and-mortar casino in Atlantic City. As late as 2016, Borgata generated as much as 40% of all the revenues among Atlantic City casinos. That number has dropped a bit since two other casinos opened in 2018, but Borgata is far ahead of all other operators.
Caesars Entertainment has three casinos: Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s, and Bally’s. Resorts Casino, owned by Morris Bailey and managed by Mohegan Sun, is a mainstay. Tropicana Resort, owned by Eldorado Resorts, and Golden Nugget, owned by Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s Restaurants, are major competitors. Hard Rock Atlantic City operates in the resort once known as Trump Taj Mahal. Ocean Resorts Casino does business in the former Revel Casino building.
Yes. New Jersey has three operating betting tracks, including Monmouth Park, Meadowlands Racetrack, and Freehold Raceway in Freehold, New Jersey.
The Cherry Hill racetrack across Chesapeake Bay from Philadelphia also has a license to operate, but the venue was closed by its owner, Greenwood Racing (Parx Casino).
Yes, a variety of New Jersey OTBs exist.
Atlantic City Racing Association OTB in Mays Landing, McLoone’s Woodbridge Grille in Fords, and Favorites at Gloucester Township in Clementon are three examples of the off-track betting facilities you’ll find in New Jersey.
Yes, New Jersey has about 12,000 registered non-profit charitable organizations which run bingo games and raffles.
The Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission, which is a division of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, provides licensing and oversight of the charitable gambling sector in New Jersey.
Yes, Private poker games and other small-time wagering among friends is permitted. Social gaming of the like is allowed, though the host cannot charge a poker rake, entry fee, or seat license fee from those who attend.
Also, New Jersey allows social gaming apps like Double Down Casino, Big Fish Games, Zynga, and Playtika’s Slotomania. Players can play these social games with friends on sites like Facebook or download a gaming app to play on their Android or iOS smartphone.
PlayMGM, a free-to-play social casino owned by MGM Resorts, is available to New Jersey social casino gamers. While PlayMGM offers free social casino games, players can win comps and other rewards that are usable at MGM Resorts casinos across the United States. That means you can win PlayMGM rewards which are cashable when you visit the Borgata in Atlantic City.
