New Jersey Online Gambling
Thanks to its influence on casinos with the famous Atlantic City and sports betting with the court case that led to the US Supreme Court striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), New Jersey is a gambling trailblazer in the US. All forms of gambling are legal in the Garden State, and the New Jersey government is one of the most proactive about adopting new progressive gambling laws.
This guide will explain the current New Jersey gambling laws, the best places to play, and the history of legal online gambling in New Jersey.
Best New Jersey Gambling Sites
Before we get more into the history of online gambling in New Jersey and why it is such a good state for gamblers, here are our experts’ picks for the best New Jersey gambling sites.
Is Online Gambling Legal in New Jersey?
Yes, online gambling is legal in New Jersey. The Garden State was one of the first to embrace online gaming. In 2012, the New Jersey Legislature overwhelmingly approved Assembly Bill No. 2578 to legalize online gambling in the state. New Jersey online casino sites officially became legal in February 2013 when Governor Chris Christie signed the bill.
A year earlier, Christie had signed a bill into law legalizing sports betting. However, a federal ban (PASPA) stopped sports betting from becoming legal in New Jersey. The state battled the federal government for years, resulting in the 2018 Supreme Court case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. New Jersey won that case, allowing US states to create sports betting legislation.
New Jersey Gambling History
Very few states have a more intimate relationship with gambling than New Jersey. The state had a thriving gambling industry from the early 1800s to the end of the 19th century. In more modern times, New Jersey has pushed for greater gambling freedoms since at least the mid-1970s, when it revolutionized the East Coast gambling scene by legalizing Atlantic City casinos.
The history of New Jersey gambling is a long and complicated one. Here are the major milestones:
2018: Governor Phil Murphy wins New Jersey’s lawsuit against the federal ban on sports betting before the Supreme Court. Later in the year, the first legal New Jersey sportsbooks were launched.
1830s: Freehold Raceway, the oldest racetrack in the US, begins hosting races and taking New Jersey horse racing bets.
1844: Lotteries are banned. For nearly 50 years before this, the Garden State was among the most popular states for gamblers and lottery players.
1894: All forms of New Jersey gambling are banned.
1940: New Jersey horse racing betting is re-legalized.
1953: Voters approve a ballot measure to legalize charity gambling. This measure survived many legal challenges but remains the bedrock of modern New Jersey charity gambling laws today.
1969: Over 80% of voters approve a referendum to establish a New Jersey state lottery.
1976: Voters approve a new casino proposal to allow land-based casinos in Atlantic City.
2012: Governor Chris Christie signs a bill to legalize sports betting in New Jersey. The bill is immediately challenged and brought before federal courts.
2013: New Jersey becomes the first state to legalize online casinos.
2017: The New Jersey Legislature legalizes Daily Fantasy Sports and changes its legal classification from gambling to a game of skill.
Legal Gambling Options in New Jersey
New Jersey is one of the most friendly states towards gambling. The Garden State is home to Atlantic City, which many call it the Las Vegas of the East Coast. New Jersey was also the first state in the US to legalize online casino sites.
Additionally, New Jersey is why we have legal sports betting in the US. Its lawsuit, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, resulted in the US Supreme Court overturning the federal government’s ban on new state sports betting legislation in May 2018.
Simply put, New Jersey has been at the forefront of gambling in the US for decades. If you still do not believe us, see our table below to learn about all the legal ways of gambling in New Jersey and when the Garden State legalized that type of gambling.
| Type of Gambling | Legal? | When Legalized? |
| Online Casinos | ✅ | 2013 |
| Land-Based Casinos | ✅ | 1976 |
| Online Poker | ✅ | 2013 |
| Land-Based Poker | ✅ | 1976 |
| Online Sports Betting | ✅ | 2018 |
| Retail Sports Betting | ✅ | 2018 |
| Daily Fantasy Sports | ✅ | 2017 |
| Horse Racing | ✅ | 1940 |
| Lottery | ✅ | 1970 |
| Charitable Gambling | ✅ | 1953 |
Sports Betting
The entire country (aside from Nevada) has New Jersey to thank for legal sports betting. PASPA was a federal ban on sports betting in all states besides Nevada, Oregon, and a handful of other states, with sports betting laws already on the books that were allowed to remain in place.
New Jersey passed its own sports betting law in 2012 and fought for its right to overrule PASPA for years. In 2018, the Supreme Court heard the state’s argument and agreed. Since then, sports betting has been legal in New Jersey, and 30+ other states have passed sports betting laws.
The Garden State has one of the biggest sports betting markets, with over a dozen online and in-person sports betting options. The legislature has made some changes to things like college prop bets. Even with those minor rollbacks, we expect New Jersey to continue to be a leader that other states will follow when it comes to sports betting.
Online Casino
Like with sports betting, New Jersey was at the forefront of legalizing online casinos. The state was the first in the union to legalize online casinos when the legislature approved Assembly Bill No. 2578 in 2012.
Unlike sports betting, there was not much pushback. The only stipulation with the New Jersey online casino law is that online casinos must be based in Atlantic City to adhere to New Jersey’s overall gambling laws. This is still the case today, but New Jersey online casino sites are not just limited to Atlantic City. You can play anywhere in the state.
Poker
Poker has long been one of the jewels of the New Jersey gambling market. Major WSOP events are held in Atlantic City every year, and minor WSOP circuits and smaller poker tournaments have been a part of the New Jersey casino scene for decades.
Online poker entered the scene in 2013 following the state’s decision to legalize online casinos. The first online poker sites in New Jersey, partypoker, Borgata, and WSOP.com, went live at exactly 9:00 am EST on November 26, 2013.
New Jersey is a member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), with states like Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, and West Virginia. Therefore, online poker players can play against players in other states, providing poker rooms with more player liquidity.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Many US states allow DFS games to operate under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), enabling people to play games of skill. New Jersey officially declared DFS games of chance in 2017 and codified it into law. That law still stands today, and New Jersey has continued to welcome new kinds of DFS competitions, such as pick’em competitions.
Lottery
While New Jersey led the way with other types of gambling, its history with lotteries is a fairly standard story. The state had a thriving lottery scene before the mid-1800s when religious attitudes changed. The state banned lotteries in 1884.
The New Jersey lottery ban stood until 1969 when voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to establish a state lottery. That amendment was ratified the following year.
Today, the New Jersey lottery regularly brings in billions of dollars in revenue. The agency reported $3.6 billion in year-end sales for the 2024 fiscal year.
Retail Sportsbooks
New Jersey sports betting was provisionally legalized when the Supreme Court overturned PAPSA in May 2018. However, the actual groundwork for establishing legal sports betting in New Jersey happened in June when Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 4111 into law. This allowed retail sportsbooks to open at horse racing tracks and Atlantic City casinos.
Murphy placed the first legal sports bet in New Jersey in decades when he placed a bet at the historic Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport. There are now over a dozen legal places to place in-person bets in New Jersey.
Land-Based Casinos
New Jersey is known for a lot of things, but Atlantic City casinos might be one of its most well-known features. Since 1976, Atlantic City has established itself as the go-to place for gamblers on the East Coast to find world-class land-based casinos. Don’t just take our word for it. Casinos like Borgata, Ocean Resort, Caesars, and Harrah’s are some of the most visited casinos in the world.
One reason Atlantic City has become such a hub is New Jersey’s gambling law. The 1976 referendum that legalized New Jersey casinos requires all casinos to be located within Atlantic City.
Sweepstakes Casinos
Sweepstakes casinos are entirely legal in New Jersey. As long as the sites are purely social casinos with no deposits required, these sites do not need to have New Jersey online casino licenses or be hosted in Atlantic City.
How are Gambling Sites Regulated in New Jersey?
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, part of the New Jersey Attorney General’s office, regulates online gambling in New Jersey. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs also regulates some parts of the New Jersey gambling industry, such as DFS. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission actually issues New Jersey iGaming licenses.
These three agencies and the state legislature work together to make rules governing New Jersey online gambling. They also work to ensure that New Jersey online casino sites, sportsbooks, and every other iGaming operator follow New Jersey gambling laws and protect players.
Responsible Gambling in New Jersey
One way that the state government and New Jersey gambling regulators protect players is by offering responsible gambling services. The New Jersey Attorney General’s office and PlayNJ state lottery websites have resources to learn more about responsible gambling and advice on how to get help.
The state also operates a self-exclusion program where problem gamblers can opt-in to have themselves permanently banned from New Jersey gambling establishments and online platforms.
In addition to government resources, these independent organizations also provide help to NJ casino players and sports bettors:
FAQs
Is online gambling legal in New Jersey?
Yes, online gambling is not only legal but also very accessible in New Jersey. New Jersey has more online casinos and sports betting sites than almost any other state, and its gambling laws are among the least restrictive in the country.
Can I bet on sports in New Jersey?
Yes! New Jersey was one of the first states in the US to legalize sports betting. The Garden State is why we have legal sports betting in the US. New Jersey sued the federal government over its ban on sports betting in a lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court. The court sided with New Jersey and overruled the ban, ushering in legal sports betting in New Jersey and all around the country.
Does New Jersey have any online casinos?
Yes! Online casinos are entirely legal in New Jersey. All the best New Jersey sports betting sites also operate online casinos you can access with your sportsbook account. There are also a handful of legal New Jersey online casino sites that operate independently.
Is DFS legal in New Jersey?
Yes, Daily Fantasy Sports are legal in New Jersey. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has a specific agency to regulate New Jersey DFS sites called the Fantasy Sports Unit (FSU). The FSU governs DraftKings, FanDuel, and all the other best DFS sites legal in New Jersey.
Are New Jersey online gambling sites safe?
Yes! New Jersey online gambling sites are incredibly safe. The Garden State has one of the most robust iGaming regulatory regimes in the United States. All legal New Jersey gambling sites are trusted and heavily regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Do I have to pay taxes on gambling winnings in New Jersey?
Yes, unfortunately, you do have to pay taxes on your gambling winnings in New Jersey. Under federal tax law, the IRS treats all winnings as taxable income. You will also have to pay an additional 3% gambling tax to the state of New Jersey.
