You can currently bet on approved esports events in New Jersey. Both online and retail sportsbooks across the state take bets on major esports tournaments. You do not need to be a New Jersey resident either; anyone over 21 and physically located in the state can bet on esports.
According to the Approved Events List provided by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), sportsbooks in New Jersey can offer lines on the following events:
Online horse betting at TVG. New Jersey’s Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes account wagering on horse races perfectly legal in the state. That means NJ residents 18 years old or older are free to open an account and bet on local and simulcast races from around the world. When you join TVG and have your account setup, you can place bets. New Jersey, eager to offer sports betting, allowed the first retail sportsbook (Monmouth Park) to open in June, and the first online sports betting app (DraftKings) in August. 2020 - There are now 17 online sportsbooks available in New Jersey, making it the premier state to bet on sports online. With Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey’s racetracks closed for part of 2020, taxes from iGaming and online sports betting helped to offset losses. New Jersey collected $39.2 million (through November) from online sports betting. Nearly 92% of the state’s $5 billion sports handle was from online wagers. Ironing out NY sports betting details. PointsBet New Jersey GGR was -$5.0 million on a hold of -1.1%. Swannell said PointsBet was targeting a 10% online handle share in the New Jersey sports betting market. Hot start in Illinois sports betting. The CEO also played down any concerns about long-term hold rate, saying the company expected to hit 5% or better. New Jersey Sports Betting Sports betting in New Jersey has exploded in recent years, with the Garden State now rivaling Nevada as America’s biggest betting market. To bet on sports in New Jersey, you need to be at least 21 years of age and must be physically present in the state, even when wagering online.
- League of Legends World Championship Series
- eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
- Vie.GG Legend Series (CS:GO)
At the time of writing, the Approved Events List was last updated on January 11, 2021, so it may feature other esports options when you’re reading this.
New Jersey Online Sportsbooks Taking Esports Bets
Not all sportsbooks in New Jersey take esports bets. But those that do accept wagers on all or most of the events approved by the DGE. These are the New Jersey online sportsbooks currently taking esports bets:
- BetMGM Sportsbook (and Borgata Sports NJ)
- Caesars Sportsbook
- PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook
- PointsBet Sportsbook
- William Hill Sportsbook
We personally reached out to every legal online sportsbook in New Jersey, so we can guarantee that those are the only options. All other NJ sports betting apps and sites do not offer esports bets.
Daily Fantasy Esports In New Jersey
You can play Daily Fantasy Esports at the DraftKings DFS and FanDuel DFS platforms. While neither takes esports betting on their sportsbook platform, you can play:
- Fantasy League of Legends
- Fantasy CS:GO
- Fantasy Rocket League
- Fantasy Call of Duty
- Fantasy iRacing
To play Daily Fantasy Esports, you purchase entries to competitions, choose your team of players within the salary cap, and compete against other DFS players. If your selection’s performance does well, you can win real money payouts.
Horse Race Betting In New Jersey
New Jersey To Fully Authorize Esports Betting
As it stands, New Jersey is like Nevada when it comes to eSports betting: it’s not explicitly illegal or legal. Instead, sportsbooks must submit a request to the state’s regulatory body to offer a specific esports bet.
However, this is likely to change in early 2021 with Bill A637, which clarifies what constitutes as “prohibited sports events.” So far, it’s received unanimous bipartisan support, so it’s a safe bet that this will come to fruition in the very near future.
Upon passage, New Jersey sportsbooks will be able to take bets on any esports event that takes place in the US as long as the majority of competitors are over the age of 18. It will also open the doors to betting on international esports, even if the majority of competitors are under 18.
If you’re familiar with esports betting, you likely know that many of the players are under 18. But the same is true for international soccer, Olympic sports, and beyond. So betting on professional-level esports with underage players isn’t the same as betting on a high school athletic program.
Sports Betting Sites In New Jersey
Bill A637 aims to make that distinction, and esports bettors in New Jersey will have even more to bet on as a result. This expansion of the sports betting laws is also likely to bring esports betting to more sports betting sites and apps as well.