New Jersey

New Jersey Online Gambling & Sportsbooks in 2022

Online sports betting has been legal in New Jersey since 2018 with more than two dozen currently active sportsbooks available making it one of the most mature online sports betting markets in the country.

With some of the most relaxed gambling laws in the US, players are also able to enjoy a wide range of legal online casinos in the state too.

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Best New Casinos in New Jersey

Although online gambling in New Jersey is legal, the choice of legal NJ online casinos in the state is somewhat limited. Fortunately, several offshore online casinos also accept players from New Jersey, including some of the best new casinos in New Jersey below.

In fact, these casinos accept USD / BTC deposits and withdrawals via several NJ online casino payment methods making them cryptocurrency casinos.

All offer one or more welcome bonus packages to new players from New Jersey. The difference between these legal NJ online casinos and others is that there is an opportunity to collect higher amounts of bonus money and free spins on selected games.

The selection of games comes from leading providers, including Rival Games, Realtime Gaming, ViG, Betsoft, etc. These include online slots, live dealer games, blackjack, roulette, video poker, baccarat, poker, etc. You can play them in freeplay mode or for real money – online or on a smartphone device.

Loyal regulars to the casino can benefit from promo code promotions, including tournaments, cashback bonuses, reload bonuses, free spins, or other perks which land-based Atlantic City casinos can’t offer. Some casinos and poker sites even offer tiered VIP programs that can mean higher cashout limits or other exclusive rewards from NJ Gambling sites.

Each NJ online casino market member below comes with our in-house review, which covers it from different angles. Find out what makes them different.

Best Bonuses in New Jersey Casinos

Players can find many of the best online casino bonuses in NJ online casinos below. As a new player, you may qualify for a signup bonus when registering a new player account to play online slots or online poker. In addition, you can collect deposit bonuses on the first or sometimes first few deposits with a promo code in US dollars or Bitcoins.

The match deposit bonuses and the free spins are generous at these New Jersey online casinos, with fair bonus T&Cs and low playthrough wagering requirements. Try finding online casino bonuses like these at an in-state online casino, let alone an Atlantic City gambling hall. New deposit bonuses from offshore casinos are incredibly hard to beat.

New Jersey Gambling Laws Overview

Throughout its history, New Jersey gambling laws have been amongst the most liberal in the United States. Still, this is not to suggest that it has not been a bumpy ride to get to where we are with NJ gambling sites.

Billions are lost to illegal gambling in New Jersey each year. However, state enforcement has targeted providers who can receive prison terms of up to 5 years.

Legal forms of gambling include pari-mutuel horse racing, charity gaming, land-based casinos, online gambling, fantasy contests, sports betting, and the New Jersey state lottery.

Famous casinos of Atlantic City

New Jersey is well-known for its land-based casino gaming in Atlantic City, regulated by The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). This is a resort city laced with nightclubs, immense hotels, casinos including the Resorts Casino, and the famous Boardwalk.

Although no Las Vegas, Atlantic City has still built a name for itself as a hotspot for land-based casinos such as the Golden Nugget casino and the Tropicana casino. It makes sense that the state would blaze a trail on online casinos, too.

State Lottery

The state operates the New Jersey Lottery, which offers draw games, scratch-offs, and ‘second chance’ products. House draws include Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, Cash Pop, et cetera. The New Jersey lottery is also part of the American multijurisdictional lottery, meaning players can participate in the colossal Powerball and Mega Millions draws.

Tickets can be purchased at participating Quick Draw Retailers or Full-Service Retailers throughout the state. Players can download the NJ Lottery App for Android or iOS to determine if they are holding winning tickets. Purchasing lottery tickets online is not possible.

Charity Gaming

Charity gaming conducted by non-profits is permitted, including raffles, NJ casino nights, and bingos. There are over 12,000 organizations licensed and regulated by the New Jersey Games of Chance Control Commission.

Bingo prizes may not exceed $1,000 per game and $3,000 per bingo event. Casino Nights involve games of chance such as baccarat, blackjack, Texas hold ’em, among many others. Prizes cannot be awarded for real cash but for raffle tickets or merchandise.

Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing

New Jersey has 3 live race tracks and several off-track betting (OTB) facilities. Here, thoroughbred racing, standardbred racing, and pari-mutuel wagering are regulated by the New Jersey Racing Commission.

The Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack believed to be the oldest of its kind in the United States. Informal horse racing has taken place there since the 1830s.

The Commission also supervises simulcast activities. Gamblers from New Jersey may also use their computer or mobile devices to place wagers online. The three live track facilities also offer sportsbooks.

Fantasy Contests

Fantasy contest operators must purchase an annual license and are regulated by the Fantasy Sports Unit (FSU). It is prohibited to provide fantasy sports activities based on high school statistics or give credit to contestants.

There are one dozen fantasy contest providers in New Jersey, including leading operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy Sports.

Online Gambling

Online gambling is a big business in New Jersey which almost became the first state to accept $1 billion in sports bets in a single month back in December 2020. These are offered by land-based casinos and 3 pari-mutuel horse racing tracks in partnership with online sportsbook operators such as William Hill, Bet365, DraftKings, and others.

Besides online sports betting, online poker rooms and NJ online casinos with live dealer games (connected to a land-based casino) are also big businesses.

Sports Betting

Gambling on professional and college sports (outside New Jersey) is permitted at one of the 9 New Jersey land-based casinos or 3 live racetracks in the state. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is responsible for regulating sports betting in New Jersey. These same land-based facilities may also offer online sports betting as of August 2018.

Land-Based Facilities

New Jersey has 9 commercial land-based casinos operating in Atlantic City after an amendment to the Constitution. Here visitors can find a selection of table games, slot machines, and sports betting. There are no tribal casinos in New Jersey.

Commercial Casinos	Address	Website
Resorts Casino Hotel	1133 Boardwalk – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	resortsac.com
Ballys Atlantic City	1900 Pacific Ave. – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	ballysac.com
Harrahs Resort	777 Harrah’s Blvd. – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	caesars.com
Tropicana Atlantic City	2831 Boardwalk – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	tropicana.net
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa	1 Borgata Way – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	borgata.mgmresorts.com
Caesars Atlantic City	2100 Pacific Ave. – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	caesars.com
Golden Nugget	Huron Ave. & Brigantine Blvd. – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	goldennugget.com
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino	1000 Boardwalk – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com
Ocean Casino Resort	500 Boardwalk – Atlantic City, NJ 08401	theoceanac.com

New Jersey also has 3 live race tracks where visitors can take advantage of sportsbooks.

Racetrack & Sportsbook	Address	Website
Freehold Raceway	130 Park Ave. – Freehold, NJ 07728	freeholdraceway.com
Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment	1 Racetrack Dr. – East Rutherford, NJ 07073	playmeadowlands.com
Monmouth Park Racetrack	175 Oceanport Ave. -Oceanport, NJ 07757	monmouthpark.com

New Jersey Casinos Map

 

 

New Jersey Gambling History

Lotteries were first used to finance the Indian and French war and the American Revolution until they were banned in 1844.

In 1894 the New Jersey Legislature banned pari-mutuel gambling, but the antigambling movement didn’t stop there. By 1897, New Jersey voters approved a referendum to ban gambling by amending the Constitution.

Although it would remain that way until 1939, enforcement was lax, as evidenced by the availability of slot machines, illegal lotteries, and bookmaking.

Interestingly, non-profit organizations, including churches, openly held bingos. Also, it remained business as usual for the Freehold Raceway until 1939, that racetrack gambling would again become legal.

It wasn’t until 1953 that a voter-approved referendum would lead to the legalization of bingo and raffle charity gaming held by non-profit organizations. Amusement games were again legalized in 1959, just two years after they were declared illegal by a court decision.

The New Jersey state lottery was approved in 1970 when almost 82% of voters approved a referendum. In 1975, New Jersey introduced Pick-3, the first US lottery game allowing players to choose their own numbers.

First casinos

Casino gambling was approved for Atlantic City by a statewide referendum in 1976. This would lead to the opening of the first state casino, Resorts Atlantic City, in 1978. Two years earlier, a referendum to approve statewide casino gaming was rejected by voters.

In 2016, The New Jersey Casino Expansion Amendment proposed allowing land-based casinos outside Atlantic City but was solidly rejected.

Online gambling

Democrat Raymond Lesniak passed a Bill in January 2011 (subsequently vetoed) to allow New Jersey online gambling provided that the servers are located in Atlantic City.

In 2013, New Jersey legalized online gambling within the state after being signed into law by Chris Christie.

It wasn’t until January 2012 that legislation was signed into law by then-Gov Chris Christie to legalize sports gambling. It was first approved in a statewide New Jersey referendum by a wide margin of 2-to-1. Unfortunately, this led to lawsuits from sports leagues and other interests that delayed the implementation.

The present day

Fast forward to 2018, when New Jersey challenged and won a legal case that challenged the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). This Act had effectively given Nevada a sports wagering monopoly. This change also brought about the chance to have New Jersey online casinos for the first time.

New Jersey Bill 4111 was signed into law on June 11, 2018, by Gov Phil Murphy, finally allowing regulated sports betting provided by live racetracks and casinos, along with online sports betting and online casino games.

New Jersey Gambling FAQ

Is pari-mutuel betting legal in New Jersey?

Pari-mutuel wagering in New Jersey is permitted at the state’s three live racetracks, OTB facilities, and online/mobile casino sites.

Does New Jersey have a state lottery?

Yes, New Jersey has a state lottery where buyers can purchase draw tickets, scratch-offs, et cetera at authorized land-based retailers.

Is online gambling legal in New Jersey?

Yes, legal online gambling is achieved in New Jersey and includes online casino games, poker rooms, and sports betting. The NJ online casino market is one of the first such markets in the USA. Providers include Virgin Casino, BetMGM Casino and Bally Casino. Players can even play at a mobile casino, which is rare even in states that have legalized online gambling.

Can I play at a land-based casino site in New Jersey?

Yes, this is only legal in Atlantic City through an amendment of the Constitution at one of the 9 land-based casinos including Resorts Casino, Golden Nugget Casino and Tropicana Casino. New Jersey online casinos are accessible from anywhere in the state, so if you have a preferred online casino site, it’s easier to sign up to Virgin Casino, BetMGM casino or Bally Casino than go to Atlantic City.

Are fantasy contests legal in New Jersey?

Yes, New Jersey fantasy sports contests are permitted on professional and college-level games only.

What is the legal gambling age in NJ online casinos?

The legal gambling age in New Jersey depends on the type of betting. For online gambling and NJ casino games, the legal age is 21 and over. The legal age falls to 18 and over for all other forms of gambling.

Conclusion

New Jersey is one of a tiny minority of American states that authorizes interactive gaming (NJ online casinos and poker rooms). This along with the presence of Atlantic City makes it a relative pioneer in this category, positioning it among the most online gambling friendly jurisdictions in the US.

This did not mean that New Jersey players can legally play at any online casinos they like. Despite this limitation, some players from New Jersey continue to play at offshore online casinos. You can find a list of our recommended online casinos in the article above.

We appreciate that you may not currently be in the market for an online casino site. Still, we invite you to revisit us again soon to stay informed about New Jersey gambling changes.