New Jersey voters have rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed betting on all college sporting events.
Legal sports betting started in 2018 in the Garden State, but wagering on New Jersey’s college teams or college sporting events taking place in the state was banned from the beginning.
However, a proposed amendment to the New Jersey constitution to allow for such wagering in the state was passed in June by the legislature. The amendment then required approval from voters on Tuesday, after a question about approving wagering “on all college sport or athletic events” was put on the ballot.
But as of around 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, approximately 57 percent of votes counted were opposed to the amendment, leading NJ.com and the New York Times to declare it beaten.
The defeat will keep New Jersey bettors from legally wagering on teams like the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Seton Hall Pirates until 2024 at the earliest, as that's when the state constitution says a similar amendment can again be put to voters.
But changes are coming
Sports betting has still thrived in New Jersey in just three years. The state became the first in the U.S. to crack $1 billion in monthly wagering in September, which was more than even Nevada, the former top spot for sports betting.
Legalizing betting on all college sports would likely have given the state’s handle another boost. A fiscal estimate of the proposed amendment said it would increase state revenues, albeit “by an indeterminate amount.”
Yet New Jersey’s boom has benefited in part because of its neighbor, New York, taking its time in approving online sports betting in the state. As a result, some New York bettors are taking their business to New Jersey.
That may not be the case for too much longer. The New York Post reported on Tuesday that winners of mobile sports betting licenses could start being named as early as this week, with online wagering expected to start in time for the coming Super Bowl.
A tough sell
Another proposed amendment to New Jersey's constitution was approved by a majority of voters during Tuesday's election, which will allow all groups that can conduct bingo or raffles to use the net proceeds from those games for support.
But the odds appeared to be against New Jersey’s college betting push from the start.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll conducted in June found 49 percent of those it surveyed opposed betting on college sports in New Jersey. Only 25 percent were in support of betting on college sports and the other 26 percent were either unsure or didn't want to respond.
“As it is, opposition is some combination of not wanting to change things without understanding the options, and just plain opposition to more expansion of gambling in the state,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson, in a press release. “Supporters have to explain what they’re proposing, and hope that voters are going to buy in.”
