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One of the top voter ballot initiatives tied to sports betting can be found in New Jersey where voters have a chance to decide whether wagering will be available on games that feature Rutgers, Seton Hall and other in-state colleges.
New Jersey was among the first states to legalize sports betting in the US following a Supreme Court decision to permit the activity in all 50 states that want to offer it.
State law currently prohibits betting on games that feature in-state schools.
The ballot question appears as such:
Do you approve amending the Constitution to permit wagering through casinos and current or former horse racetracks on all college sport or athletic events? Currently, wagering is prohibited on college sport or athletic events that take place in New Jersey. Wagering is also prohibited on an event in which a team from a New Jersey college participates.
Former state Senator Ray Lesniak tells our own Thomas Somach he believes the initiative will fail.
“There hasn’t been much publicity around this ballot question, and a lot of people are going to miss it, or skip it,” Dan Cassino, the director of the poll, told NJ.com. “It’s much closer than it was before, and there are many voters who aren’t going to make a decision about it until they get into the ballot box.”
While local unlicensed NJ bookmakers supported by Pay Per Head software have been able to thrive taking bets on in-states schools, nearly all offshore sportsbooks have pulled out of the New Jersey market.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
