New Jersey Voters Reject Amendment That Would Allow Betting On State's College Teams
New Jersey citizens have turned down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have permitted banking on all college sporting events.
Legal sports wagering begun in 2018 in the Garden State, but wagering on New Jersey's college groups or college sporting events taking location in the state was banned from the start.
However, a proposed modification to the New Jersey constitution to enable such betting in the state was passed in June by the legislature. The amendment then needed approval from voters on Tuesday, after a question about approving betting "on all college sport or athletic events" was put on the ballot.
But as of around 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, roughly 57 percent of votes counted were opposed to the amendment, leading NJ.com and the New York City Times to declare it beaten.
The defeat will keep New Jersey gamblers from lawfully wagering on groups like the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Seton Hall Pirates until 2024 at the earliest, as that's when the state constitution says a similar amendment can once again be put to citizens.
But modifications are coming
Sports wagering has actually still thrived in New Jersey in just 3 years. The state ended up being the very first in the U.S. to crack $1 billion in monthly wagering in September, which was more than even Nevada, the previous leading spot for sports wagering.
Legalizing betting on all college sports would likely have provided the state's deal with another increase. A financial estimate of the proposed change said it would increase state revenues, albeit "by an indeterminate amount."
Yet New Jersey's boom has benefited in part due to the fact that of its next-door neighbor, New York, taking its time in approving online sports wagering in the state. As an outcome, some New York wagerers are taking their business to New Jersey.
That might not be the case for too much longer. The New Post reported on Tuesday that winners of mobile sports betting licenses could begin being named as early as this week, with online betting anticipated to begin in time for the coming Super Bowl.
A hard sell
Another proposed amendment to New Jersey's constitution was approved by a bulk of voters throughout Tuesday's election, which will permit all groups that can carry out bingo or raffles to use the net earnings from those games for assistance.
But the chances seemed against New Jersey's college wagering push from the start.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll carried out in June found 49 percent of those it surveyed opposed banking on college sports in New Jersey. Only 25 percent remained in support of betting on college sports and the other 26 percent were either unsure or didn't want to react.