New Jersey Bill to Ban College Sportsbook Partnerships Advances

Posted on: September 24, 2024, 01:30h. 

Last updated on: September 24, 2024, 01:42h.

Legislation in New Jersey that would prohibit public institutions of higher learning from taking on partnerships and accepting marketing buys from sports betting companies advanced on Monday.

The New Jersey Assembly Higher Education Committee unanimously approved Assembly Bill 4113 by a 6-0 vote on Monday. Introduced in April by Assemblypersons Linda Carter (D-Plainfield), Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson), and Reginald Atkins (D-Roselle), the statute would ban sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel from sponsoring public colleges and universities.

AB 4133 would additionally ban sports betting ads in all stadiums and facilities, inclusive of gameday programs.

New Jersey’s sports betting law already prohibits oddsmakers from taking bets on games involving state-based colleges and universities. The regulation also forbids betting on any college sport taking place inside the Garden State regardless of whether the contest involves a state-based school.

In 2021, New Jerseyans voted against a ballot measure that would have lifted those limitations.

Sports Betting Guardrails

Sports betting is legal and operational in some form, whether it be in-person, online, or both, in 38 states and Washington, DC. After the US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on single-game sports wagering in May 2018, states moved quickly to get a piece of the action and generate new tax revenue.

States have pushed back on Tonko and Blumenthal’s bill on claims that they know how to best regulate gambling and sports betting in their jurisdictions. AB 4113 is evidence that lawmakers in states that regulate sportsbooks continue to review their sports betting protocols.

On both sides of the aisle, we realize that we have to put guards up to protect our residents,” Wimberly told NJ Spotlight News.

Carter and Atkins co-chair the Assembly Higher Education Committee. Wimberly is a member of the committee.

Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Middletown) was the lone Republican participating in the six-member vote. The Higher Education’s only other Republican, Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis (R-New Providence), didn’t vote on the sports betting bill.

Previous Attempts Failed 

Similar legislation to outlaw sports betting sponsorships at New Jersey’s public institutions failed in previous years. Last year’s assembly measure also passed the chamber’s Higher Education Committee but stalled in the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee.

Rutgers, the largest public college in New Jersey, already bans its student-athletes from entering into NIL (name, image, likeness) deals with casinos and sports betting entities. Rutgers doesn’t currently have an official sportsbook relationship like LSU and Michigan State do with Caesars Sportsbook.

Michigan State ended its Caesars Sportsbook agreement that same year after fielding similar scrutiny.