New Jersey Gambling

Other than Nevada, no other state is more synonymous with gambling in the US than New Jersey.

So, it’s fitting that the Garden State has such an in-depth selection of NJ online gambling options including online casinos, online sportsbooks, and poker.

In fact, in terms of accessibility, there is no other state that has so many opportunities available for its inhabitants. Residents and visitors in New Jersey can pick between dozens of New Jersey online casinos and sportsbooks in the state.

So, here is a handy guide for those interested in online gambling in New Jersey. Find out which sites accept NJ players, the bonus offers and no deposit bonuses available, and how to play for real money.

Is Online Gambling Legal in NJ?

Yes. Online gambling is completely legal in New Jersey. In fact, New Jersey was one of the earliest states to legalize and launch online gambling for its inhabitants.

Although online horse betting became legal in many states in 2000 (including New Jersey), the first bit of New Jersey-specific online gambling legalization came in 2013. In that year, Gov. Chris Christie added his signature to Assembly Bill 2578, which permitted Atlantic City casinos to offer internet gaming involving online casinos and online poker. The casinos were authorized to form strategic partnerships, if they wished, but no online casino provider could operate in New Jersey unless they had a deal with one of the in-state casinos.

Online gambling expanded further in 2018 with the advent of online sports betting. In the wake of New Jersey’s momentous US Supreme Court victory, the state became the first outside Nevada to host online sportsbooks. It is also legal to bet on daily fantasy sports (DFS) while inside New Jersey state lines. Daily fantasy sports became a regulated practice in the state in 2017, thanks to another signature from Christie.

In short, you’d be hard-pressed to find a state with more legal options for online gambling than New Jersey. Anything mentioned in the sections below is completely above board and on the level.

Pros and Cons of Playing Online in NJ?

If you have never joined an New Jersey online casino, you might not know exactly what to expect. You might be wondering what kinds of features, games, and other interesting things that you’ll find. Well, in many ways, NJ online casinos are better than their live counterparts. However, live casinos still have a few things to offer, too. So, here are the pros and cons of playing online in New Jersey:

Pros

• Convenience – The most obvious reason why online is superior is the sheer convenience of it. There is no need to buy gas, drive anywhere, deal with traffic, risk an accident, or even put on clothes if you’re playing on your device or computer. You can even play on a lunch break or just for a few minutes – an impossible task in a live casino.
• Bonuses – The best online casinos in NJ are fiercely competitive with one another for the loyalties of customers. So, they are willing to come out of pocket with bonus offers in order to attract you to their sites and keep you playing there. This competition is to your benefit – you can put hundreds of extra dollars in your wallet if you stay on top of all the bonus offers in New Jersey.
• Game selection – Live casinos always struggle with an essential limitation…their physical space. It is not always possible to fit every game onto the casino floor that they like. Online casinos do not have the same problem. It is easy to find online casinos in New Jersey with many hundreds of slot titles, table games, and other fun all in the same location. Furthermore, seats never fill up online, so you can always play whatever game you like without having to wait for someone to finish their turn.
• Interaction without proximity – This last advantage is especially relevant during this time of social distancing and personal space concerns. An NJ online casino allow you to interact with fellow gamblers and dealers without having to inhabit the same space. Many New Jersey casinos have live dealer games, which allow you to play your favorite table games through a live feed with a real, flesh-and-blood dealer running the game. You can use the chat function to talk to the dealer and, in some cases, other players at the table. It’s not quite the same level of immersion as playing live, but it’s a lot closer than you’d expect.

Cons

• Social – Of course, the lack of proximity mentioned above is both a blessing and a curse. There’s no denying the value of interacting with your fellow punters as you congregate around a hot craps table or commiserate about a cold blackjack deck. The sights, sounds, and even smells of being in a casino have their own charm, and it’s impossible to recreate the visceral aspects of live gambling if you are playing electronically.
• Complexity – Although online casinos can host more casino game options than many live casinos, there is a level of complexity involved that may be off-putting. Players who are less comfortable with technology might find the presentation and navigation of an online site to be overwhelming. Furthermore, the speed of play is usually much faster online, and that may be an irritant for gamblers who want a more casual experience.
• Technical – This issue dovetails with the previous one. Technologically-challenged players might find extra layers of stress in trying to negotiate the registration and banking processes online, let alone the procedures for actually playing the games (or leaving the games they’re playing). It is also possible that glitches or other hardware-based errors could result in lost bets and unwanted downtime for online players. Although these are rare, they can be exceptionally frustrating.

With all of that said, on balance, online casinos are almost always worth the attention of players in New Jersey. There are simply too many positives that outweigh the downsides of playing with your device. So, let’s talk about what you need to do to get going.

Download and Sign Up

So, try to find an inviting bonus offer from our links above. Decide which NJ gambling site you want to try, write down any promotional codes we have listed, then click the button. Most sites have both browser versions and dedicated apps for both Android as well as iPhone and iPad users, so choose the logo that matches your format.

For Apple users, the process from there is no different than for most other apps. Almost all NJ online casinos with mobile apps are available for download and installation through the App Store. The only caution is that players need to make sure that they are downloading the version specific to New Jersey – versions that mention other states and not New Jersey won’t work.

Android users have to use an extra step to get started. Because of Google’s ban on gambling apps in the Google Play Store, Android users will have to download the .apk file from the online casino directly. So, the button that you’ll push will take you to an auto-prompt page to start the download. However, before you press the button, ensure that your device is able to handle downloads from unknown sources. You can access this toggle in the Security menu.

Once the app is downloaded, look for a button that will go to the registration screen(s). It will usually say “Join Now,” “Sign Up,” or something similar.

After pressing this button, be ready to fill out a few items of personal information and identification. These pieces of information will usually be the following:

• Name
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• Home address
• Social Security number
• Date of birth

The registration is also likely to ask you to designate a username and password. Make sure that these options are memorable but secure, as personal banking information is likely to be stored onsite.

Afterward, make your way to the cashier to begin depositing and playing. Depending on the type of deposit, you will have to volunteer your financial or banking information to the site.

Gambling in New Jersey at a Local Casino

Besides Nevada, few states conjure images of gambling more vividly than New Jersey. Since 1976, Atlantic City has been the East Coast’s reply to the glitter of Las Vegas.

The surprising thing about the Garden State and gambling, however, is that overall, the state is actually quite hostile to the practice. The law that brought casinos to Atlantic City explicitly confined them there, too.

Since then, efforts to expand casino gambling outside America’s Playground have failed. Most recently, a proposed constitutional amendment in 2016 met heavy opposition, and its opponents prevailed by more than a 3 to 1 margin in the 2016 election.

Casinos

So, for all of its progressive approach to gambling, live casino play is only available within the city limits of Atlantic City. Here are the active casinos in New Jersey:

• Bally’s Atlantic City (1900 Pacific Ave)
• Borgata (1 Borgata Way)
• Caesars Atlantic City (2100 Pacific Ave)
• Golden Nugget Atlantic City (600 Huron Ave)
• Hard Rock Atlantic City (1000 Boardwalk)
• Harrah’s Atlantic City (777 Harrah’s Blvd)
• Ocean Casino Resort (500 Boardwalk)
• Resorts Casino Hotel Atlantic City (1133 Boardwalk)
• Tropicana Atlantic City (2831 Boardwalk)

Cardrooms

Any poker rooms inside New Jersey’s state lines are located within casino properties in Atlantic City. There are no standalone cardrooms anywhere in the state.

Therefore, the following casino properties have poker rooms:

• Bally’s
• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
• Golden Nugget Atlantic City
• Harrah’s Atlantic City
• Ocean Resort Casino
• Tropicana Casino

Sportsbooks

At this point, most of the gambling locations in New Jersey have a retail sportsbook. The income potential from one of these facilities is too great to ignore.

There are 12 locations under New Jersey law that could potentially open a sportsbook. Of the nine eligible casinos and three eligible racetracks, only two have yet to accept a wager on a sporting event.

One of the holdouts, Caesars Atlantic City, is simply choosing to defer to its other two properties on sports betting. Its sister casino, Bally’s, has the largest, if not the most impressive, retail sportsbook in all of New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Freehold Raceway continues to move slowly towards an open sports betting facility. The northern New Jersey racetrack has dragged its feet about launching a book over concerns about its location and the profit potential.

So, at present, these are the retail sportsbooks that call New Jersey home:

• The Book (Bally’s)
• The Book (Harrah’s)
• DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts
• FanDuel Sportsbook (Meadowlands)
• Hard Rock Sportsbook
• Moneyline Bar & Book (Borgata)
• The Sportsbook (Golden Nugget)

New Jersey Lottery

While there is a New Jersey lottery app, all lottery tickets must ultimately be purchased at retail locations. There are lottery vendors scattered throughout the state, and entries are available at most convenience stores, grocery stores, or other general retail outlets.

Players in New Jersey can pick between draw games and scratch-offs. Draw games include in-state lottery drawings and multi-state contests.

Multi-state contests include the popular Mega Millions and Powerball drawings. Each of these contests has offered prizes in the hundreds of millions in the last few years.

Players may also try to win on scratch-off tickets. These games can pay anywhere from the cost of the ticket to life-changing money.

Bingo and Raffles

New Jersey is also home to several bingo halls and raffles that award cash and prizes to players.

These facilities are run exclusively by a rotating set of charitable organizations. Each organization must be licensed and overseen by the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission, a department of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

According to the statutes, none of these drawings can award prizes in excess of $1,000 in value. However, that still leaves plenty of room for them to operate.

Responsible Gaming in New Jersey

Gambling is a fun, and sometimes, profitable activity for most. Unfortunately, some gamblers find themselves unable to stop playing their favorite games of chance.

The sad reality is that problem gambling is real and affects a significant portion of the population. Even though continuing to play is detrimental to their bank accounts, family lives, and health, problem gamblers simply cannot stop playing or stay away from gaming locations.

Thankfully, there are some resources available to assist problem gamblers in getting the help that they need. The first place that a struggling gambler can visit is the Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ.

This non-profit organization can help problem gamblers connect with treatment centers, support groups, and educational materials to start the process of recovery. The organization’s website is also the number of its helpline 800-GAMBLER.

Struggling gamblers can also visit the website of the National Council on Problem Gambling. The organization is the leading support organization for addiction to gaming, and New Jersey gamblers can find numerous resources specific to the Garden State there.

Finally, the state of New Jersey itself maintains a self-exclusion program and links to resources within the state. The New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement can help gamblers save themselves from themselves by banning them from gambling activities in New Jersey.

These self-restrictions can last from one year to a lifetime. While they may seem harsh, the bans can be invaluable for breaking the cycle of addiction for people who cannot stop themselves from gambling any longer.

There’s no reason to suffer from a crippling addiction in this day and age. A treatment center or support group meeting is never far away.

If you need help, get help.

A Quick Look at NJ Gambling History

New Jersey occupies an interesting place in American gambling history. It has, at various times, led the charge to offer gambling to US citizens in locations outside of Nevada. The Garden State’s legislative courage has, in turn, emboldened other states to try the same strategies. So, as far as gambling in the US goes, New Jersey is usually the beret-wearing revolutionary. Here are some key dates for gambling in New Jersey:

1978

After an historic vote in 1976 and the passage of the New Jersey Casino Control Act in 1977, the first Atlantic City casino opens its doors. Resorts Atlantic City is the first casino outside of Nevada to receive a legal wager, and the debut is nothing short of a coup for gambling proponents outside the Silver State. For its part, Resorts AC has managed to remain in service to this day, even as other casino properties have changed hands, gone out of business, or been imploded.

1990

Atlantic City reaches its peak in terms of its number of casinos. With the debut of the Trump Taj Mahal, New Jersey now has 12 different casinos active in the state. Donald Trump, the brash billionaire and future President, owns three of the casino locations in Atlantic City at this time. His promotional work and boxing match hosting sparks an increased interest in New Jersey as a hub for gambling.

2006

New Jersey casino revenue reaches its high water mark at just over $5.2 billion for the year. 2005 and 2006 are the only years in Garden State history to produce annual gaming revenues above $5 billion. A precipitous decline follows this landmark year as competing casinos in states like Connecticut and Pennsylvania begin to open. By 2015, New Jersey gambling revenues are less than half the 2006 total. It’s not a coincidence that four of AC’s casinos closed their doors in 2014.

2013

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signs Assembly Bill 2578 into law. New Jersey becomes one of only a few states with legal online casinos and online poker. For the most part, the activity is limited to players inside the state lines. However, thanks to the state’s later participation in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), poker players gain access to player pools in Delaware and Nevada. There are now more than two dozen online casinos and poker sites in New Jersey.

2018

New Jersey prevails in its lawsuit with the NCAA and the major pro sports leagues with regard to sports betting. The leagues sought to block New Jersey from offering wagering on sporting events due to violations of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA – the decades-old ban on sports betting that created a de facto and de jure monopoly for Nevada. New Jersey responds by launching sports betting less than a month after its Supreme Court victory. The state also becomes the first outside of Nevada to offer online sportsbooks in the US.

2021

New Jersey’s gambling industry continues to churn – albeit at a lesser pace – in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although revenues declined by nearly $600 million in 2020, the state still managed to book a casino win of nearly $2.9 billion, despite widespread closures and stay at home orders. The survival of the industry is entirely attributable to online gaming in the state, which accounts for nearly $1 billion in revenue alone. Incredibly, more than 90% of sports bets in New Jersey are made online.