New Jersey voters reject college sports betting
Residents have voted “no” to allow betting on college teams or teams from other states whose games are played in New Jersey.
US.- New Jersey voters have rejected a ballot question that would have allowed betting on New Jersey college teams or on teams from other states when they play in New Jersey. With 92 per cent of the polls reported, 57 per cent of the votes were against the ballot measure while 43 per cent approved.
New Jersey has offered sports betting since 2018, but bets on in-state collegiate programmes are not allowed.
State legislators approved a referendum question for the general election ballot to amend the constitution to “permit sports wagering through casinos and current or former horse racetracks on the certain sanctioned collegiate tournament, playoff, championship, or other postseason athletic competitions in New Jersey.”
Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University said: “One potential concern with lifting the ban may have been that college athletes would feel more pressure and/or face more scrutiny on social media because of the added attention and money involved.”
New Jersey breaks sports betting record in September
New Jersey became the first U.S. state to take in more than $1b worth of sports bets in a single month. Revenue from sports betting was up nearly 83 per cent to $82.4m from $45m in September 2020.
In-person casino revenue was up over 30 per cent to $248.5m and online gambling was up nearly 40 per cent to $122.5m.
See also: New Jersey Lottery launches campaign against underage gambling
