Lawmakers in New Jersey heard from both sides of the argument regarding a proposed bill to ban in-game prop betting, or micro-betting, in the state. However, since the hearing was only informational, so far, the Assembly has not taken any action on the matter.
Bill would ban in-game wagers on events like baseball pitches
Rep. Dan Hutchinson kicked off the hearing by explaining his measure, A 5971, which he introduced last month amidst a torrent of controversies related to match fixing in professional and collegiate sports. The bill would eliminate the bets and impose a fine of between $500 and $1,000 on each wager taken. There is a companion bill in the New Jersey Senate with the same text, S
Hutchinson recalled some experiences he shared interacting with those who have dealt with problem gambling as well as voiced his own thoughts as to why he thinks the matter is an issue worth legislating.
“As I watched the Eagles play yesterday, I was shocked to find that gambling ads were baked into the programming itself. What these companies want is for you to bet as frequently as physically or financially possible. Yesterday, I’m listening to one ad on the radio, and the little caveat at the end said you have to place 50 bets per day, something like that. It’s these types of enticements that are that are attracting people.”
Supporters from the problem gambling community need a ‘breath’
Supporters of the bill spoke about their own personal experiences with gambling addiction. Jean Swain also appeared as a representative of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ).
“Recent conversations with young people reveal that the allure of in-game betting and having skin in the game increasingly influences their engagement with sports or sports betting,” she noted. “These high frequency wagers from every player action can trigger instant dopamine releases in the brain’s reward system, fostering compulsive behaviors that can develop into serious addiction.”
Swain spoke of her own struggles with problem gambling as well before compelling the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee to take action.
“We need to have a way to slow down. And if it’s in our face continuously, while we are feeling the action, we will continue to reach for it. We have to be able to breathe in between hits, just at least a breath.”
SBA says microbets help integrity, not hinder it
The only testimony against the bill came from Sports Betting Alliance representative Zachary Khan. He highlighted the positive economic impact the industry has had on New Jersey, with SBA members creating more than 2,000 jobs and taking up more than 70,000 square feet of office space in the state.
When it came to the micro-betting itself, Khan argued that this small portion of bets is not the integrity problem some suggest it is, even though sportsbooks and leagues like the MLB have taken steps to limit the scope of in-game prop bets. In fact, Khan argued they helped spot match fixing faster.
“I do want to flag for this committee that [micro-betting] is actually one of the more effective tools that regulators and operators rely on. Microbets account for a small share of overall wagering, but they generate highly granular real-time data. Pitch-by-pitch wagers and other microbets often provide the earliest indicators of suspicious activity, because irregular patterns stand out immediately.”
Khan acknowledged the difficult task of following the very real and impactful stories of those impacted by problem gambling but did not address any of the issues related to problem gambling and in-game props in his remarks to the committee.
The meeting concluded with no scheduled plan for a future hearing where there might be a vote. Though the end of 2025 is fast approaching, the offical end of the 2024-2025 New Jersey legislative session is not until Jan. 16 of next year, so there is still some time for the bill to move, but a long way to go if it were to actually get across the finish line.
