Esports betting in New Jersey continues to be a growing industry within the legal gambling networks of the state after laws were put forward to facilitate more growth for the scene in 2019. The A637 bill passed by The Assembly Tourism, Gaming & the Arts Committee was the first step in modifying the New Jersey gambling laws in favor of esports, and the implementation of those gambling laws in 2020 is steadily making esports betting in New Jersey a higher priority.

While esports betting in the USA hasn’t been as openly received as the other gaming industries within the country, recent Nevada and New Jersey gambling law changes have made the opportunity for growth much more tangible. Atlantic City and New Jersey overall have been no strangers to esport events in recent years. In 2017, Caesar’s Atlantic City hosted the first esports tournament in the state with Gears of War Pro Circuit. The following year, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City also hosted a Rainbow Six Siege Pro League Event.

This turn of events for state legislation goes to show that esports betting in New Jersey is an industry that will be given a lot of care and proper facilitation in order for that facet of the gaming industry to achieve its full potential. Several state congressmen have lauded the esports scene already for its rapid growth, and if politics becomes a nonissue for the scene, betting on the sport will be more accessible than ever before.

History of esports betting in New Jersey

While the legislation was approved last year to enable esports betting in New Jersey, legislators have put certain provisions in place to prevent the betting of local sports and high school level athletics the same way they do for other sports leagues. For example, the A637 bill maintains a prohibition on betting of esports tournaments involving high schools but would allow it on college-level teams so long as they are not based in New Jersey, these tactics are in accordance with the states gaming programs for basketball and football as well to prevent the diminishment of competitive integrity.

Last year, state gaming regulators at the Division of Gaming Enforcement permitted legalized esports wagers for the League of Legends World Championship. The move once again was only approved under certain conditions, including a $1,000 maximum bet and no in-game wagering. This move was the first of its kind for esports betting in New Jersey, and in turn this approval of esports gambling laws lent itself to widespread changes to esports betting in Nevada as well as Mississippi.

New Jersey Esports Betting

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Democratic Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo of Northfield, New Jersey was quoted as being ‘pleased’ with the new gambling laws in New Jersey that were being reworked to open a new stream of revenue for the gaming industry. Overall, esports as a whole became a billion-dollar industry last year through various streams of revenue including merchandising, sponsorships, and broadcasting payouts. The state is now accommodating to the times by including esports betting in New Jersey to further increase their influence in the gaming and wagering industry.

What are my options?

The best options for esports bettors in the United States when it comes to game titles like League of Legends (LCS, LEC) and Call of Duty (Call of Duty League) is DraftKings, as the most popular betting service available.

While the New Jersey betting industry is just getting their feet wet into esports, the state boasts one of the most robust sportsbooks in all of the United States with a recorded $300 million in revenue in 2019 alone. For physical bets, esteemed locations like the Borgata are ideal places to make bets for big tournaments like ESL 11 (CS:GO) or the upcoming World Championships (League of Legends).

DraftKings for Fantasy Esports in New Jersey

If you missed the old versions of fantasy esports from League of Legends in the past, DraftKings new and improved version of Fantasy esports for LCS and LEC is a great option. DraftKings possesses a massive collection of pros and live statistics that mimic weekly stats from those pros on Summoners Rift. Assembling a master craft esport team while remaining under salary cap budget is crucial to success, and the more points you gain on a certain week against other players will determine if you pick up a larger share of the prize pool. Other esports games available on DraftKings esports are: Rocket League, CS:GO, Call of Duty and eNascar. Various DraftKings promotions are also available for esports and are constantly updated.

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All New Jersey registered betting operators, are licensed through a physical casino located in NJ. You will find some of the biggest esports betting sites present in the state after they co-partner with a casino.

Future of esports in New Jersey

Even though certain aspects of bookmaking and sports gambling tend to seem unsustainable. New Jersey’s rock-solid approach for healthy and safe sports betting in new forms with esports betting and esport tournament gambling have been solidifying a path for other states to follow through.

Already, mentalities in Colorado, West Virginia, Nevada and other big-time gaming states have softened their view towards electronic professional sports. And as the leagues continue to get more professional with stable salaries and revenue share that can sustain entire businesses, the room for growth for sports betting can only continue to accelerate.

With several legislators and high ranking personnel on the Gaming Committee putting laws into action back in 2020, we are only just starting to see the positive impact of those laws esports betting in New Jersey, and the state has the potential to become the next big home for major esports events and tournaments as the relationships between pro leagues and teams continue to flourish.