New Jersey Voters Reject Amendment That Would Allow Betting On State's College Teams

New Jersey citizens have declined a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed banking on all college sporting events.


Legal sports wagering started in 2018 in the Garden State, however wagering on New Jersey's college groups or college sporting events occurring in the state was prohibited from the start.


However, a proposed amendment to the New Jersey constitution to permit for such wagering in the state was passed in June by the legislature. The amendment then required approval from citizens on Tuesday, after a concern about authorizing betting "on all college sport or athletic events" was put on the ballot.


But as of around 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, around 57 percent of votes counted were opposed to the amendment, leading NJ.com and the New York Times to state it beaten.


The defeat will keep New Jersey bettors from lawfully betting on groups like the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Seton Hall Pirates till 2024 at the earliest, as that's when the state constitution says a comparable modification can again be put to citizens.


But modifications are coming


Sports betting has actually still thrived in New Jersey in simply three years. The state became the very first in the U.S. to crack $1 billion in monthly betting in September, which was more than even Nevada, the previous top area for sports betting.


Legalizing banking on all college sports would likely have actually provided the state's handle another increase. A financial price quote of the proposed modification said it would increase state earnings, albeit "by an indeterminate amount."


Yet New Jersey's boom has actually benefited in part due to the fact that of its neighbor, New York, taking its time in authorizing online sports wagering in the state. As an outcome, some New York gamblers are taking their service to New Jersey.


That may not hold true for too much longer. The New York Post reported on Tuesday that winners of mobile sports licenses could begin being named as early as today, with online betting anticipated to start in time for the coming Super Bowl.


A difficult sell


Another proposed modification to New Jersey's constitution was approved by a bulk of citizens throughout Tuesday's election, which will enable all groups that can perform bingo or raffles to use the net earnings from those games for support.


But the chances seemed against New Jersey's college betting push from the start.


A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll conducted in June discovered 49 percent of those it surveyed opposed banking on college sports in New Jersey. Only 25 percent remained in assistance of banking on college sports and the other 26 percent were either not sure or didn't want to respond.