Gambling Laws in New Jersey

New Jersey is considered the most permissive of all US states when it comes to gambling laws. The Garden State is home to the popular casino hub Atlantic City, but it also offers sports betting, lotto, bingo and daily fantasy sports online.

Which Types of Gambling Activities Are Legal in New Jersey?

The state's laws on gambling are detailed in the New Jersey Criminal Law, sections 2C:37-1 and 5:5-1, with just about all types being legal. New Jersey is home to numerous betting opportunities, including a rich casino industry in the world-famous Atlantic City. The state has developed over the years to offer a lottery, bingo halls, racetracks and a vast number of online gambling sites.

The main regulatory authorities include the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the New Jersey Racing Commission and the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

Online and Land-Based Casino Games

Gambling in casinos is legal in New Jersey, with Atlantic City home to a collection of the most popular venues in the US. Nine casinos operate in the capital, with venues opened between the late 1970s and 2010s.

New Jersey is one of the few states which has fully opened its doors to online gambling. Almost all of the current land-based establishments are partnered with some of the world's biggest online casinos. These platforms provide residents with licensed access to the best slots sites as well as a plethora of live dealer games to enjoy.

Poker Gambling

Playing poker with real money is legal, with nine casinos featuring dedicated poker rooms. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is usually the top choice for New Jerseyites, thanks to the massive 85 tables on offer.

Online poker gambling is legal in New Jersey, with several Atlantic City operators licensed to offer this, including Caesars, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock and Tropicana.

New Jersey is also one of the few states that pool poker players under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). This ensures more competitive and exciting games for residents.

Playing Bingo

Bingo gambling is legal and there are around five venues in the state. These are mostly charitable organisations, with state laws allowing them to run games for non-profit purposes, except on Sundays. Many of Atlantic City's casinos also run bingo games.

Playing bingo online is also legal in New Jersey but casinos must be licensed within the state to operate.

Lotto

Playing in the state lottery is legal and numerous licensed retailers stock tickets for local and national draw games such as Powerball, Mega Millions and Cash4Life. You can also purchase a variety of scratch cards and instant-win games.

The New Jersey State Lotto is also licensed to sell tickets online via its website. If residents want to play in other foreign games then they can do so at their own risk, as this is considered illegal. However, more focus is on prosecuting operators rather than individual gamblers.

Social Gambling and Crypto Casinos

Social casinos (i.e. those using only play chips) and home-based gambling such as poker are legal, but there are restrictions. Activities must not be operated within alcohol-licensed premises and no profiting must take place beyond player winnings (e.g. no rake or fees).

Modern forms of gambling such as lootboxes and skins, are unregulated in New Jersey, although there is continuing debate on the topic.

New Jersey recognises cryptocurrencies as a form of currency. Still, none of the state's casinos or other venues accept Bitcoin or altcoins as payment. Those searching for online casino games can find plenty to play at the various crypto gambling sites that accept signups from New Jersey. While this may be deemed illegal according to current laws, players are extremely unlikely to be prosecuted.

New Jersey Sports Betting Laws

After a lengthy legal process, sports betting was finally legalised in 2018, with many of the existing casinos launching their own sportsbooks. Online sports betting is also legal, with the state home to 23 sites including FanDuel and DraftKings.

Horse race betting is legal, with racetracks permitted to offer live parimutuel betting. Online horse race betting is also allowed but can only be offered by two licensed providers, 4NJBets and Monmouth Bets. Fixed odds betting is also available.

Daily fantasy sports betting is permitted, with contests offered to residents before the legislation was actually enacted to allow them. Today, DFS operators must follow the same licensing procedures as other gambling operators in the state.

Gambling Age Restrictions in New Jersey

The legal gambling age is 18 for lottery games, bingo, parimutuel fixed odds, horse racing and DFS. To play casino games and bet on sports, either offline or online, state residents must be at least 21 years old.

Gambling Winnings and Tax Regulations

New Jersey gambling tax regulation stipulates that gambling winnings are subject to a 3% rate, regardless of whether or not the winner resides in the state. This is in addition to the 24% withholding tax charged at the federal level.

History of Gambling Laws in New Jersey

The earliest mention of gambling in New Jersey dates back to 1844 when lotteries were banned in the state. Parimutuel gambling was then banned in 1894, and in 1897 all types of gambling were banned. The industry started reopening in 1939 when horse race betting was legalised.

Bingo and raffle games for charitable purposes were legalised in 1953. The state lotto was established in 1970 and in 1975 the first legal game in the US in which players could choose their numbers was launched in New Jersey.

Casino gambling was permitted in 1976 but only in Atlantic City.

Sports betting was initially legalised in 2012, but national sports leagues pressed the case under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 and won. However, PASPA was deemed unconstitutional in 2018, with sports betting at casinos and racetracks re-legalised the same year.

A bill proposing legal online gambling in New Jersey was initially presented in 2011 but never passed due to geolocational issues.

Online gambling sites in New Jersey were eventually legalised in 2013.

Key Facts

• Casino gambling is legal in New Jersey, but only via the Atlantic City's nine casinos.

• Online casino gambling is legal.

• Both offline and online poker are legal.

• Bingo games are permitted to be offered by charitable organisations and casinos.

• Playing bingo online is legal.

• Lottery gambling is legal offline and online, but only via the New Jersey Lottery.

• Sports betting is legal in both offline and online forms.

• Daily fantasy sports betting is legal.