New Jersey Gambling – Online betting history

The state of New Jersey is located in the North East of the United States. It borders New York and has approximately 9 million residents. It has had a long history of legalized betting and gambling. After a referendum in 1976, the first legal casino in New Jersey opened in 1978. This was in Atlantic City and since then, the city has boomed into a popular casino hot spot, similar to Las Vegas. Even before this, New Jersey has had a historic track record of being permissive when it comes to gambling laws and statutes. Lotteries were common in the state until their ban in 1844. Despite these ban, preventing betting was not really that strict. This was partly due to the fact that many were confused over the actual legality of the ban.

The State’s Long History of legalization

Even during the state ban there was still a common number of slot machines, number games and bookmakers. Even churches and non-profit organizations held bingo events openly. There was also an operational race track. That particular form of betting was re-legalized in 1939. The legalization of bingo soon followed in 1953 after a voting referendum. Amusement games became legal 6 years later. In fact, despite gambling laws being officially in place, New Jersey soon became the first state to create a legal lottery game. It was not long before the state voted in legislation for legalized casinos. Though these would be restricted to Atlantic City. It soon became one of only two states with legal casino gambling, the other being Nevada. This was before the advent of computing.

What About Online Betting?

This long history of legalization came to a head in 2013. It showed that New Jersey was keeping up with the modern standards of online betting. On February 26, 2013, the state governor Chris Christie signed legislation legalizing online gambling. This legislation specifies that the online betting sites being accessed must be operating in a licensed casino located in Atlantic City. Furthermore all those who gamble on these sites must be aged 21 or over.

Online Betting Vs. Casino Gambling in New Jersey

There has recently been a dramatic contraction in the size of casinos in Atlantic City. Between 2010 and 2014 a number of gambling establishments have closed. This is partly due to competition in the northeast United States after further gambling legalization across the country. Another reason for this is the advent of online gambling. Being able to make bets from home is a convenience that customers have recognized. They have also taken advantage of the portability of online casino games. Being able to bet from a smartphone or tablet reduces the travel and hotel costs that directly going to a real world casino would bring. For these reasons online betting has superseded Atlantic City casinos as the go-to format for making New Jersey bets.