New Jersey Sports Betting: Top 5 Sportsbooks Available

In 2018, an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which made it illegal to bet on sports in the United States (with a specific few exceptions) outside the state of Nevada, was repealed. Leading that was… New Jersey!

Our New Jersey sports betting guide looks at which sportsbooks are available to bettors, how to open accounts and place bets along with a detailed look into the story of New Jersey sports betting. 

New Jersey Sports Betting: Where Can I Bet? 

Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 4111 legalizing sports betting in New Jersey in June 2018. By August 2018, - just in time for the ALL-important NFL season - legal sportsbooks and mobile apps were operating in the state. 

Anyone who is at least 21 years of age and physically in New Jersey (verifiable by mobile device geolocation technology, or a downloadable desktop plugin) can place bets via over two dozen New Jersey online sports betting apps. That is, of course, provided you’re not a so-called “principal actor” – player, referee, coach, etc. – in a sport, in which case you cannot bet on your own sport.

If you meet these criteria, you can place a wager via any of the 26 online sports betting apps active in New Jersey. Here are our picks for the best New Jersey sportsbooks: 

Caesars Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Excellent loyalty incentives such as event-specific odds boosts
• Very generous referral bonuses ($100, plus $50 in free bets for the person you referred)
• Breezy signup and banking process

FanDuel Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Extensive variety of betting markets and products such as Same Game Parlays
• Wide range of payment options including Venmo
• Outstanding mobile app - one of the best in the industry on both iOS (4.7/5.0) and Android (4.8/5.0)

PointsBet Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Greater focus on "non-major U.S. leagues” than most sportsbooks
• Unique PointsBetting wagering, in which winnings and losses are based on how “right” or “wrong” the bettor is, relative to the original line
• Clean and easy-to-use interface on mobile apps, with solid ratings on both iOS (4.7/5.0) and Android (4.4/5.0)

BetMGM Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Backed by one of the top brands in gaming
• Among best in class for sign-up (risk-free bet up to $1,000, with a playthrough requirement of just 1x), deposit and withdrawal
• Top-tier international wagering selection
• Live stream select games from major U.S. and international leagues
• Excellent iOS app (iPhone app: 4.8/5.0; Android: 4.2/5.0)

BetRivers Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Excellent welcome offer (first deposit match, up to $500, with a playthrough requirement of just 1x)
• The expansive selection of sports and wager types, including same-game parlays
• Very competitive vig/juice on points spreads and totals
• Mobile app ratings: Apple/iOS, 3.2/5.0; Android, 3.1/5.0

DraftKings Sportsbook New Jersey: 

• Outstanding mobile app - one of the best in the industry on both iOS (4.7/5.0) and Android (4.8/5.0)
• Widely regarded as having one of the most intuitively designed and easy-to-navigate mobile apps
• Extremely competitive pricing on NHL hockey lines
• Welcome bonus of $50 free bet on any deposit of at least $5, and a 20% deposit match, up to $1,000 (5x playthrough requirement)

When did Sports Betting Become Legal in New Jersey? 

October 1992: George H.W. Bush signed into law the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) – also known as the “Bradley Act”, as its greatest champion was New Jersey Senator and former New York Knick Bill Bradley – which was aimed explicitly at curbing sports betting in the United States.

January 1993: The only legal ways to bet on sports in the U.S. were to get yourself to Nevada, wager in very specific ways in Oregon, Delaware or Montana, or take up jai alai or horse or dog racing. In 2014, New Jersey repealed a law banning sports gambling. All of the major leagues and the NCAA successfully filed suit, claiming a violation of PASPA.

February 2013: After being sued by the Pro Sports leagues, New Jersey lost the right to have sports betting for the first time following an injunction from the District Court. They would go on to appeal this decision and end up in court three times ahead of bringing down PASPA. 

May 2018: The Supreme Court ruled that PASPA undermined states’ rights, and was thus unconstitutional. This allowed New Jersey to establish legal sports betting and flung open the door for other states to do the same. As of early 2022, nearly thirty states have jumped at the opportunity.

August 2018: The first online sports bet was completed shortly after the legislation had passed. DraftKings was one of the first to go live in the state and as a result, took an early advantage dominating the market in the early days. 

September 2021: New Jersey becomes the first state to record a total of $1 billion in wagers in the space of a month, the industry has come a long way since its beginnings.

May 2022: Since New Jersey sports betting apps went live in August 2018, more than $25 billion has been wagered on a variety of sports.

Opening a Sports Betting Account in New Jersey

Getting started at a New Jersey online sportsbook is easy. All you’ve got to do is register for an account with the sportsbook(s) of your choice, make your initial deposit, and start surveying the lines!

Be aware that a sportsbook may require additional documentation before allowing you to withdraw funds. Also, note that, if you’re verifying a bank account that’s held by more than one person, you’ll likely need to provide an ID from everyone listed on the account.

We’re big advocates for signing up to multiple sportsbooks to take full advantage of these offers, you can read more about individual bonuses here. 

New Jersey Sportsbook Payment Methods: 

You’ll have plenty of options when it comes to payments, the leading operators tend to use the following methods:

• Bank Wire Transfer: Bank wire transfers are still one of the most secure ways to deposit and withdraw funds from online sportsbook accounts. However, they are also much slower for funds to be processed and cleared than newer payment methods.
• Debit Card: Debit cards are also a simple way to manage your online sportsbook funds, with instant deposits and funds are withdrawn quicker than a wire transfer.
• Apple Pay: iPhone owners can also use their Apple Pay accounts to deposit funds into online sportsbooks, although withdrawals are not often supported.
• Google Pay: It’s a similar case for Android mobile owners, with Google Pay the fastest payment method for those betting on sports with their smartphone or tablet. Like Apple Pay, withdrawals are not often supported.
• eWallets: eWallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller have changed the game for online sports bettors. Customers can deposit funds from bank accounts into their eWallets, making it easier to set betting budgets. eWallet withdrawals are also processed much faster than conventional methods.

New Jersey Sports Betting Promotions

With so many promotions available, it can be tricky to understand what you actually stand to get. We’ve done an in-depth guide into sportsbook bonuses previously, so here are the basics:

Matched Deposit Bonuses: 

These will trigger upon your initial deposit, and are a commitment to match your initial deposit, typically up to a certain value. 

Free Bets: 

A good incentive for new players, providing a wager to players to test the waters. The credit will be added to your account and then you’re free to bet with this as you please. 

Risk-Free Bets: 

Upon depositing or placing a wager, you’ll receive the free bets as a refund on your initial stake. These tend to be of a similar value, hence the low risk… 

Popular Sports to Bet on in New Jersey

Betting markets for all major (and some less-than-major) sports are available in New Jersey, though wagering on amateur games and players is prohibited. Though there aren’t many iron-clad rules that apply state-wide to sports bettors in New Jersey, there are a couple:

• There’s no betting on college events taking place in New Jersey. This includes home games of the college teams based in the state, and neutral-site games, like NCAA Tournament games and college football bowl games.
• There’s no betting on games involving teams from the colleges located in New Jersey (Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton, among others), regardless of where those games are played. 
• There is no betting on high school games.
• Wagering on political elections is not permitted, though betting on entertainment awards, like the Oscars or the Emmys, however, is allowed.

Despite these rules, bettors in Garden State have plenty of markets at their fingertips for professionals and non-NJ college games across the world. 

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Boxing
• MMA
• Motorsports
• Tennis
• Darts
• Cricket
• Snooker
• Badminton
• Handball

… you name it, you can probably get action on it!

For fans and bettors with a more local focus, the range of local options in New Jersey is staggering:

• In the NFL, there are the New Jersey-based New York Jets and New York Giants.
• In the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. 
• In the NHL, the New York Rangers and Islanders, and New Jersey Devils.
• In Major League Baseball, we’ve got the Mets and the Yankees.
• And, in Major League Soccer, there are the New York Red Bulls and NYCFC.

And, of course, there’s plenty of horse racing action to be had as well, either online or at one of New Jersey’s 21 racetracks, which include harness racing at historic Freehold Raceway and Monmouth Park, in Oceanport, and thoroughbreds at the Meadowlands.

How To Begin Online Sports Betting in New Jersey

If you meet the criterion above It’s easy to get started! Here's how:

1. Choose your preferred sportsbook. New Jersey has more than a dozen sportsbooks, so you can shop for the best lines and welcome and loyalty offers 
2. Sign up. Once you’ve found your preferred book, follow the (generally very user-friendly) prompts to set up your account. You’ll probably be asked for your social security number or driver’s license, to verify your identity and age.
3. Deposit. Once you’ve got an account, it’s time to fund it! In most cases, once you create an account, you’ll be directed to a deposit screen. You’ll be asked to select a payment method - “direct deposit via bank account” is something to consider, since, when you cash out, the money is sent right to your checking account.
4. Verify Your Location. New Jersey online sports betting apps require users on desktop computers to download a location-tracking software, GeoComply, while mobile users must simply allow the app to “track location”, with no download(s) required.
5. Start wagering!

Conclusion 

There’s our full look into New Jersey sports betting. Hopefully, we’ve helped you identify the best sportsbooks available along with bonuses to get the most from your bankroll. Check out our odds comparison tool - The Index to help you find the best value across the top sportsbook.