New Jersey

Last verified September 27, 2026

By the Legal Sportsbooks US editorial team

New Jersey

Online and retail

Legal since

June 14, 2018 (retail); August 6, 2018 (online)

Minimum age

21 (18 for daily fantasy)

Regulator

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

Licensed apps

13 online sportsbooks

State law

N.J.S.A. 5:12A-10 et seq. (P.L.2018, c.33)

Is sports betting legal in New Jersey?

Yes, online and in person, at 21. The Division of Gaming Enforcement lists 13 online sportsbooks and 11 retail lounges, all tied to an Atlantic City casino or one of two racetracks. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Sports Wagering Law (P.L. 2018, c. 33) on June 11, 2018, four weeks after New Jersey won Murphy v. NCAA at the U.S. Supreme Court. The first bets were taken June 14, 2018, and online betting started August 6.

Where you can bet

Each app runs under a casino or racetrack license. The DGE list as of September 2026: DraftKings and theScore Bet (Resorts), FanDuel (Meadowlands), BetRivers (Monmouth Park), BetMGM and Borgata (Borgata), Caesars Sportsbook (Tropicana), bet365 and Hard Rock Bet (Hard Rock), Fanatics and Bally Bet (Bally's), betPARX (Harrah's) and Prime Sports (Ocean). The DGE page still shows Sporttrade under Bally's, but Sporttrade stopped taking New Jersey bets on May 25, 2026.

The 11 retail lounges are at nine Atlantic City casinos (Bally's, Borgata, Caesars, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Harrah's, Ocean, Resorts and Tropicana) and at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park.

The state constitution bars bets on any college event held in New Jersey and on any event in which a New Jersey college team plays, wherever it's held. Under the 2018 law, other games in a tournament that includes a New Jersey team are open, and so is a tournament held mostly outside the state with some games inside it. Bets on high school events aren't allowed.

Retail sports wagering revenue is taxed at 8.5%, and that rate hasn't changed since 2018. Online revenue was taxed at 13% until P.L. 2025, c. 66 raised it to 19.75% on July 1, 2025. A further 1.25% tax goes to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority on casino online revenue and to local government on racetrack revenue.

How New Jersey legalized sports betting

Casinos and the missed federal window (1974 to 1993)

New Jersey voters rejected a statewide casino amendment in 1974, with 60% voting no. On November 2, 1976, 56% approved casinos limited to Atlantic City, and Gov. Brendan Byrne signed the Casino Control Act on June 2, 1977. When Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 1992, it gave New Jersey one year to legalize sports betting in Atlantic City. The state didn't act before the window closed.

The 2011 amendment and the 2012 law

On November 8, 2011, voters approved Public Question 1, 671,797 to 379,339 (63.9%). It amended Article IV, Section VII, paragraph 2 of the constitution to let the Legislature authorize sports wagering at Atlantic City casinos and at current or former horse tracks, with New Jersey college events excluded. Gov. Chris Christie signed the Sports Wagering Act (P.L. 2011, c. 231) on January 17, 2012. The leagues sued that August, and the law didn't take effect.

The 2014 partial repeal

After the Supreme Court declined New Jersey's first appeal on June 23, 2014, the Legislature passed a repeal bill that Christie vetoed on August 8, 2014. A narrower version, S2460, passed the Senate 28-1 on October 14 and the Assembly 73-4 on October 16. Christie signed it October 17 as P.L. 2014, c. 62. It repealed the state's bans only for bettors 21 and older at casinos and racetracks, and only for events that didn't involve New Jersey colleges.

Launch after Murphy (2018)

The Supreme Court struck down PASPA on May 14, 2018. Murphy signed A4111 on June 11, and the DGE and the New Jersey Racing Commission issued rules within 48 hours. On June 14 Murphy placed the first two bets at Monmouth Park: $20 on Germany to win the World Cup and $20 on the Devils to win the Stanley Cup. The Borgata opened its book the same morning. DraftKings and Resorts launched the first online sportsbook on August 6, 2018, and by the end of that year nine licensed operators had taken more than $1 billion in wagers.

College betting and taxes since 2018

Voters rejected a second Public Question 1 on November 2, 2021, which would have allowed betting on all college events, including New Jersey teams. The official tally was 1,206,011 no to 909,467 yes, or 57% against. The same fiscal 2026 budget law that raised the online sports rate took the internet casino tax from 15% and the daily fantasy fee from 10.5% to 19.75%.

Sports betting court cases in New Jersey

iMEGA v. Holder (D.N.J., dismissed 2011)

The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association, the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA) and state Sens. Stephen Sweeney and Raymond Lesniak challenged PASPA in federal court. On March 7, 2011, U.S. District Judge Garrett Brown dismissed the case for lack of standing, writing that the plaintiffs "have not alleged an actual or imminent injury" and that only the state could bring the claim.

NCAA v. Christie, or Christie I (2012 to 2014)

The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB sued on August 7, 2012 to block the 2012 law (D.N.J. No. 3:12-cv-04947). Judge Michael Shipp found the leagues had standing on December 21, 2012, and the United States intervened. On February 28, 2013, Shipp upheld PASPA and enjoined the law. A divided Third Circuit panel affirmed on September 17, 2013 (No. 13-1713, 730 F.3d 208), with Judge Vanaskie dissenting in part. The majority reasoned that PASPA didn't require states to keep their bans and that New Jersey was free to repeal them. The Supreme Court denied review on June 23, 2014.

Christie II and Murphy v. NCAA (2014 to 2018)

The leagues sued again on October 20, 2014 (D.N.J. No. 3:14-cv-06450). On October 24 Shipp issued a temporary restraining order, so Monmouth Park couldn't open its book on October 26 as planned. He required the leagues to post a bond, set at $1.7 million and later raised to $3.4 million. He struck down the 2014 law on November 21, 2014. A Third Circuit panel affirmed 2-1 on August 25, 2015 (No. 14-4546, 799 F.3d 259), Judge Fuentes dissenting, and the full court affirmed on August 9, 2016 (832 F.3d 389). It held that the repeal, "artfully couched in terms of a repealer," was an authorization barred by PASPA.

The Supreme Court granted review on June 27, 2017 (Nos. 16-476 and 16-477), heard argument December 4, 2017 and reversed on May 14, 2018. Justice Alito wrote that PASPA's ban on state authorization of sports gambling violates the Constitution's anticommandeering rule, and that the rest of PASPA couldn't survive without it. Justice Ginsburg dissented, joined by Justice Sotomayor and in part by Justice Breyer.

The $3.4 million bond (2018 to 2021)

The NJTHA moved on May 24, 2018 to collect the bond and more, and it later put its losses at $150 million. Shipp denied the motion on November 16, 2018, finding the NJTHA wasn't wrongfully enjoined. The Third Circuit vacated that ruling 2-1 on September 24, 2019 (No. 18-3550, 939 F.3d 597), holding that the NJTHA had been "wrongfully enjoined" and could recover provable damages up to the bond. The Supreme Court denied the leagues' petition on May 18, 2020 (No. 19-1114). On December 3, 2020, Chief Judge Freda Wolfson rejected damages for the period after the restraining order expired. The parties settled on January 11, 2021. The NJTHA collected the $3.4 million bond and dropped its claim for more.

KalshiEX v. Flaherty (D.N.J. and Third Circuit, 2025 to 2026)

On March 27, 2025, the DGE sent cease-and-desist letters to Kalshi and Robinhood. The letter to Kalshi said its sports contracts were sports wagering that wasn't licensed in the state and that its contracts on New Jersey college games violated the constitution. Kalshi sued the next day (D.N.J. No. 1:25-cv-02152). Judge Edward S. Kiel granted a preliminary injunction on April 28, 2025, barring civil or criminal enforcement against Kalshi's sports contracts, on a $100,000 bond. The state appealed (3d Cir. No. 25-1922), and the district case has been stayed since May 21, 2025.

After argument on September 10, 2025, the Third Circuit affirmed 2-1 on April 6, 2026 (172 F.4th 220). Judge Porter, joined by Chief Judge Chagares, held that Kalshi's sports contracts are swaps traded on a CFTC-designated contract market and that Kalshi had a reasonable chance of showing both field and conflict preemption. Judge Roth dissented, calling the contracts "virtually indistinguishable" from DraftKings and FanDuel bets. The court issued its mandate on April 28, 2026. On May 19, 2026, Kiel kept the district case stayed while the state seeks Supreme Court review.

Flaherty v. KalshiEX (U.S. Supreme Court No. 26-299)

After two filing extensions from Justice Alito (application 25A1465), Attorney General Jennifer Davenport filed New Jersey's petition on September 2, 2026. It asks whether the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act preempted states from regulating sports bets offered within their borders on CFTC-registered markets. The Court docketed it September 8. On September 22 it moved Kalshi's response deadline from October 8 to November 9, 2026, and the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States filed a brief backing the state the same day. Two other circuits have since ruled against Kalshi: the Ninth in KalshiEX v. Assad (Nevada) on August 28, 2026, and the Sixth in KalshiEX v. Schuler (Ohio and Tennessee) on September 25, 2026. The Court hadn't acted on the petition as of September 27.

Robinhood Derivatives v. Flaherty (D.N.J., 2025 to 2026)

Robinhood first complied with its letter, then sued on August 19, 2025 (D.N.J. No. 1:25-cv-14723), also before Kiel. On August 22, 2025, the parties agreed to a consent order that granted Robinhood preliminary relief and paused the case until the Third Circuit ruled. A second consent order on May 5, 2026 extended that relief.

Prediction markets and daily fantasy

Because of the Third Circuit ruling, the state can't enforce its gaming laws against Kalshi's sports contracts while the injunction stands, and Robinhood has similar relief by consent. Sens. Nicholas Scutari and Paul Sarlo introduced S4447 on June 11, 2026, to license "athletic event markets" with DGE oversight and a 21 age floor and to ban markets on deaths, catastrophes and political events. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee replaced it on June 28, by a 9-4 vote, with a 9% surtax on prediction market operators' income, and the Assembly version (A5336) cleared committee the same day. We found no floor vote as of September 27, 2026. Novig, a CFTC-regulated prediction market that is open to New Jersey users, prices contracts without vig and charges no fee on pregame straight trades.

Daily fantasy is legal at 18. The Division of Consumer Affairs' Fantasy Sports Unit issues annual operator permits, and its rules bar contests based on high school athletics. Operators have paid a 19.75% fee on fantasy revenue since July 1, 2025.

Help with a gambling problem

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey runs 1-800-GAMBLER, free and confidential, 24/7. You can call or text it.

Sources

Common questions

How we track and verify state laws

What does Legal Sportsbooks US track?

Every state's legal status, the date betting became legal, the minimum age, the regulator and the licensed apps, plus the legal history and court cases behind them, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Our page on how we track and verify state laws explains the details.

What do the statuses mean?

Online and retail means licensed mobile apps and in-person sportsbooks both operate. Online only means betting happens through licensed apps, with no retail sportsbooks. Retail only means you can bet in person at licensed venues, but there's no statewide app. Not legal means no licensed sportsbooks operate. Legislation pending means a bill or ballot measure is moving, but betting hasn't launched. Not yet verified means we haven't confirmed the state's current status.

Can I bet on sports where I live?

The rules follow where you are when you place the bet. Licensed apps use geolocation to confirm you're inside a state where they can operate, and some states limit betting to certain premises. Find your state in the state index, or read our guide to location rules.

How old do you have to be to bet on sports?

It's 21 in 33 of the 40 jurisdictions with legal sports betting and 18 in five: Washington, D.C., Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wyoming. In North Dakota and Washington, the tribal casino sets the age.

How current is the tracker?

State laws and licenses change, so every state entry records the date it was last verified. If a status looks out of date, the state regulator's website has the official answer.

Is this legal advice?

No. We summarize public information about state sports betting laws. Confirm the rules with your state regulator before you bet, and don't wager more than you can afford to lose.