A New Jersey bill that would ban sportsbooks from partnering with colleges and college sports programs on marketing and advertising has been passed in the state Assembly and sent to the Senate.
Assembly Bill 4113, a carry-over of a measure from last year, was approved unanimously with 75 yes votes on the Assembly floor and has been sent over to the Senate Higher Education Committee.
The goal of the bill is to shield students from seeing gambling-related ads on campuses, in online college-related marketing or at university athletics team facilities and arenas.
“Simply put, advertisements for sports betting on a college campus are unnecessary and can create harmful consequences,” said primary sponsor Assemblywoman Linda Carter in a statement. “We must protect our students from the risks of gambling addiction by keeping these types of promotions off of campuses, where young adults are most vulnerable.”
Amendment allows for some exceptions
The bill uses the same amended language from last year, when it was approved by the Assembly Higher Education Committee with tweaks.
It defines a sports wagering partnership at a public institution of higher education as an agreement between a sportsbook or intermediary and an institution of higher education, including an athletic department or booster club, “for access to advertise in the institution’s stadiums and other facilities, in digital and broadcast sports content, and through other means.”
An amendment was added to clarify that the prohibition would not apply to a foundation tied to a higher education institution, provided that the sports betting partnership does not include direct advertising or marketing to students at either on- or off-campus locations.
While there was a point in time where as many as five different schools signed deals with sportsbook operators, public outcry and pushback led to every partnership being terminated. None of those schools were located in New Jersey. Since then, no one has broached the idea of a college and sports betting partnership again. The American Gaming Association (AGA) mandates that partners do not work with colleges and universities.
Another amendment would allow such a partnership if it was “established for academic purposes or provides experiential learning opportunities to students enrolled in the institution.” New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities Executive Director Jennifer Keyes-Maloney said last fall that the amendments ensure the bill strikes the “proper balance” between protecting students and “recognizing that this can be a valuable career for them.”
Bill 4113 must still gain approval in the full Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy to become law.
Betting on lawmakers’ minds in NJ
New Jersey bans betting on in-state college teams or on collegiate games hosted in the Garden State. A proposal last year would also have prohibited college player prop wagers
Other bills in the current legislative session have looked to address betting advertising.
Assemblyman Brian Bergen‘s Bill A5207 aims to ban the “posting, distributing, broadcasting, or disseminating” of any online ad related to sports betting. That bill was referred to the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee in Janauiry but has made no further progress.
