New Jersey bill seeks to allow in-state college sports betting

New Jersey has long been at the forefront of the US betting industry, having moved pre-emptively against federal regulation, and not least – contributing a great deal to tackling the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, ushering in a new age of regulated sports gambling in the country.

Now, Assemblyman Michael Venezia has introduced Resolution 140, an effort to expand the sports betting industry in the Garden State by allowing punters to place a wager on the outcome of in-state college sports, and events that involve in-state college teams.

The bill is currently with the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee and its stated goal is to:

"Amends State Constitution to permit sports wagering through casinos and current or former horse racetracks on all college sport or athletic events."

New Jersey to try and allow betting on in-state college teams and players

New Jersey has explicitly prohibited wagering on college sports that involve its teams, fearing game manipulation and match-fixing offenses, as have surfaced around the country over the past months and years.

The issue has got so serious that the NCAA and lawmakers have publicly called for a suspension of proposition wagers on college sports. New Jersey’s Resolution 140 and Assemblyman Venezia want to move in the other direction, however.

Such decisions, though, need to be put to a public vote. Going several years back, another similar proposal was voted on but defeated with a 57% majority. The matter was put on the November ballot in 2021.

Similarly, Resolution 140 would need to get the public’s approval to change the way sports gambling operators in the Garden States handle college sports, and specifically, whether in-state sports teams and players are going to be allowed markets to explore.

Betting on games that involve in-state college teams is not an outlandish idea, as many jurisdictions around the country have been worried about allowing bad actors to influence or corrupt college athletes.

Match-fixing in college and professional sports continues to be a problem

In the meantime, college athletes have faced a similar ordeal, as there have been multiple cases of suspected match-fixing leading the NCAA to call for better educational initiatives that inform players of the risks of betting and the career-ending moves that this could have.

Yet, match-fixing has not impacted just college sports, as Jontay Porter, a promising NBA player for the Toronto Raptors, became the first in history to be handed down a lifetime ban from the association.

The NCAA has also launched multiple campaigns focused on problem gambling and boosting problem gambling awareness.

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