On November 8th, New Jersey voters can begin the process of bringing legal sports wagering to their state. Currently, only four states – Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware – have laws permitting legal wagering.
New Jersey, by becoming the fifth state to permit legal sports wagering, would benefit in a number of major ways:
1. It would enable New Jersey to use sports wagering as a major draw for the state’s casinos and horse tracks. Sports wagering has been a mainstay for attracting large numbers of players to Las Vegas casinos, and Delaware recently restarted sports wagering as a way of drawing players to their racinos (while, unfortunately, drawing them away from New Jersey casinos and tracks).
2. Legal sports wagering would provide much needed revenue to the state, to be used by law for the care of seniors and people with disabilities. Due to regional competition from casinos in states on New Jersey’s border, this critical revenue has been in decline and has led to cuts in services and care.
3. It would enable New Jersey regulators to help guard the integrity of the games being wagered upon. At the moment, all sports wagering in New Jersey occurs at the street-level or online. Hundred of millions of dollars are being wagered every year in the state, with no oversight to ensure that dishonest and criminal elements do not try to use money and opportunity to unfairly influence the outcomes of our beloved games. By voting “YES”, you can empower NJ regulators – by reputation, the toughest in the world – to protect our games and keep them honest.
4. By bringing sports wagering into a legal and regulated market, New Jersey can realize substantial extra tax revenue though a leisure activity that is the most widespread form of gambling in the United States. It’s estimated that each year, more than $350 billion is wagered on sports in the US, a number that continues to grow due to the increased popularity of fantasy sports, and through the information and wagering opportunities found on the Internet.
5. By voting “YES”, it will be the voters of New Jersey – not the owners of professional sports teams or politicians in Washington DC – that will decide what kind of gaming they choose to permit in their state, consistent with the powers granted to NJ’s citizens by the state’s constitution, and the rights granted to the states under the US Constitution.
On November 8th, vote “YES” on Legal Sports Wagering for New Jersey.
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