Two significant online gambling-related bills continue to make progress in the New Jersey legislature.
A proposal in the Assembly that would ban online sweepstakes casinos in the Garden State received a second unanimous vote of approval in committee and is awaiting a full reading on the floor.
Assemblyperson Clinton Calabrese’s A5447 was voted out of the Appropriations Committee by an 11-0 vote late last week, at a session where no testimony was heard. It had already received a 6-0 unanimous green light in the smaller Tourism, Arts, and Gaming Committee last month. The bill was amended at that earlier stage to clarify the definitions of the games and prizes involved.
Any game that mimics or simulates casino-style games or sports wagering and offers any digital or physical token object that can be exchanged, sold or redeemed directly or indirectly through third-party marketplaces or other methods would be banned.
New Jersey lawmaker’s shifted stance
At the start of this year, Calabrese introduced legislation in January that would have regulated online sweeps in similar fashion to online casino gaming, rather than outlawing them.
However, he withdrew that bill in April and is now focused on banning them, a stance which is supported by not only committee lawmakers but also the Attorney General’s Office and the online betting operator coalition the Sports Betting Alliance. The AG’s office previously testified that not only is sweepstakes casino gaming unauthorized gambling but, as it was not approved by a voter referendum, in its eyes, it is also unconstitutional.
Looking across borders?
Connecticut, Montana and Nevada have all enacted bans on sweepstakes in 2025. The Connecticut and Montana legislation specifically names and defines sweepstakes gaming, as the New Jersey bill does. While the broader Nevada bill uses more vague language to define illegal gaming, the industry consensus has been that it could be interpreted to include sweeps.
New Jersey’s lawmakers also may well be looking at what is happening across the Hudson River in New York, where a sweeps ban has been approved by both chambers of the legislature and is awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
NJ Senate mulls cutting off college player props
While the Assembly issue of sweepstakes gaming may be on a path to reaching the Senate, the upper chamber is making progress on a bill that would ban state sports bettors from wagering on college athletes’ individual performances.
Sen. Kristin Corrado’s S3080 cleared the Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee by a unanimous 5-0 vote and is now on the full Senate floor. The chamber has read the bill but not yet voted on it.
It would prohibit player prop betting in college sports. That includes metrics such as points scored by an athlete in a game, rebounds or three-pointers in basketball or passing yards registered by a college football quarterback.
Introducing the bill to fellow Senators, Corrado stated that prop bets have led to a marked increase in bettor harassment of student-athletes. She also stressed that they can threaten the integrity of collegiate athletes.
Those have been the key arguments for advocates of a ban on the popular wager type. As well as lawmakers, NCAA President Charlie Baker has been a public supporter of banning college player props since last year.
Several states have already banned sportsbooks from offering player props to their customers either through legislation or regulations, such as Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana and Vermont.
