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TRENTON - A state Senate committee approved a proposed constitutional amendment Monday to allow sports betting in Atlantic City casinos and at New Jersey racetracks if a federal government ban against sports gambling were eliminated.

A similar proposal was scheduled before a state Assembly committee, but a vote was put off after Assemblyman Vincent Polistina, R-Atlantic, said he would propose changes to limit sports betting to the casinos and not allow it at the tracks.

The 4-0 vote by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee sends the constitutional amendment to the full Senate for consideration. The proposed amendment, if approved by the full Legislature, would ask voters in November whether to authorize sports betting.

The amendment could ultimately allow for betting on professional, college or amateur sporting events in person, by telephone, over the Internet or by other means. It would prohibit bets on college games played in New Jersey or on any game in which a New Jersey college team plays.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said legalized sports betting would raise $100 million in new state revenues and generate $500 million for the casinos and racetracks.

Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, a co-sponsor of the bill(SCR-49), said the state's gaming industry needs sports betting to counter strong competition from expanded gambling in Pennsylvania, Delaware and other Northeastern states.

The Assembly version of the bill (ACR-98) was scheduled before the Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee on Monday but was pulled from the agenda at the last minute.

Polistina, a committee member, said he was ready to propose amending the bill to limit sports betting to casinos. The gaming halls are the appropriate venue for such gaming, he said, and Atlantic City needs the economic help. He noted that casino revenues continue to decline, development has stalled and the region's unemployment rate is higher than the state average of 10 percent.

But Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, R-Monmouth, Mercer, called for any proposed constitutional amendment to include horse racing.

"That industry is under the same intense competition as the casinos," she said.

The legislative activity may be for nothing unless New Jersey and other states can convince the federal government to reverse its ban against sports betting. Only states that had the gaming in place before the 1992 ban took effect can allow it.

Lesniak has filed suit to challenge the constitutionality of the ban. He and Van Drew said approval by New Jersey voters would demonstrate support for sports betting that could help the lawsuit.

Press Statehouse reporter Juliet Fletcher contributed to this report.

10 comments:

• Chris_TracktheBet (1) posts 7:27 pm

  Great Job NJ!! Hopefully we will see more states follow suit and eventually be able to bet on sports legally and without worry that a bookie or an offshore book will just not pay up..

• Pvillesfinest (63) posts 3:12 pm

  I worked and lived in Vegas for years during the late 80's early 90's as a dealer.We made very good money from Thanksgiving thru Superball. All due in part to men coming into bet on sports. I have said for years it should be legalized; Whitman killed it. Better legal than having some thug take bets; which will happen if is not legal!!!

• HomelessinAC (7) posts 1:40 pm

  I have to laugh at everyone who pushed for and thinks sports betting will make or even save Atlantic City revenues. Most sport bets are placed by MEN on the average, most gamblers that lose to casinos are women who play slots. NJ will never capture the Sports betting market that Las Vegas has because they do not have the volume of travelers and people going to AC now are 20 something wannabees who are mostly made up of clubbers and drinkers looking to score in AC, the rest are senior citizens and most big gamblers are high stake BJ table players and craps. Poker players mostly young men might venture to sports betting just a bit but will shy away when they find out how clueless they are in sports betting. in a nut shell sports betting will be the biggest DUD ever in Atlantic City since the conception of ACES train and the Water club....... LOL!!!!!

• Two Buck Chuck (9) posts 12:54 pm

  I agree ALLOW SPORTS BETTING at casinos and racetracks. However it should be run by casinos from AC. If there is casino style gaming in New Jersey the management should be licensed by the NJ Casino Control Commission and have an operating casino in AC. If this gets passed they might even rebuild the Cherry Hill Race Track?

• dangdid (39) posts 12:20 pm

  i was the Republicans who killed the bill the last time. Their reason was to reduce voter turnout so that that Christie Whitman could win the election. And whitman gave away the surplus to the State colleges instead of funding the pensions... so have your republicans and eat it too....

• juicy73 (6) posts 9:43 am

  to little to late.

• American_Gaming_Guru (303) posts 9:26 am

  "State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said legalized sports betting would raise $100 million in new state revenues and generate $500 million for the casinos and racetracks."......dream on! I fully support legalized sports betting in NJ, but one can only witness how politicians have been rushing the approval of various forms of gaming nation-wide with lofty revenue and tax windfall expectations. The problem is that in almost every new gaming jurisdiction, the lofty projections fall well short of what was expected and mostly due to increased competition which stretches out consumers gaming expenditures over a wider geographic area. If the federal ban on sports wagering were lifted, can we really think that Pennsylvania will not be soon to follow with their own sports wagering bill? Just how can anyone factor in "$100 million in new state revenues and generate $500 million for the casinos and racetracks" then??? Voters beware what politicians are selling you. Gaming is no longer an economic savior!

• RandomX856 (208) posts 9:10 am

  Approve SLOTS at the racetracks while you're at it!

• RandomX856 (208) posts 10:15 pm

  Whats taking so long with the federal lawsuit? when's it going to court?

• anotherjoe (104) posts 9:05 pm

  Well its about time!!!!!

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