New Jersey legalize Esports betting

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With the rapid advancement and growth of the esports industry, there are many areas that are keeping up to speed, but some are still catching up. The development regarding betting laws and legislations is one of the areas that has failed to keep up. However, changes continue to be made.

Legalization of esports betting in New Jersey

Back in 2018, the US Surpreme Court struck down what was a near-nationwide ban on sports betting, which includes esports. Until this change, only a handful of states were able to wager on sports. The bill specifically stated that wagers couldn’t be placed on video game contests sponsored by high schools, or where the majority of participants are under 18.

With majority of the esports scene being teenagers and young adults right now, this obviously ruled on betting on a wide number of esports. With the Call of Duty Pro League, now the franchised Call of Duty League, being one of the few with a strict 18+ rule, the esports betting options were heavily limited.

How the bill changed

With the entire sports industry reaching almost $4.6 billion in sports bets in 2019 alone, there is an obvious market being disrupted by this bill. The proposed Assembly Bill 637 was approved on March 5^th, with Assemblyman, Ralph Caputo, making the following statement:

“I would say esports are the ‘next big thing’ when it comes to sporting events, but the fact of the matter is that video game tournaments are already a prominent form of skill-based competition”.

It is certainly a positive for the entire esports industry to have this bill approved and seeing positive, supportive comments coming from lawmakers.

Some Esports betting tips

If you’ve read this and are eager to start placing bets on esports, there are a couple of quick recommendations we’d like to offer. Here you can find a full guide for esports betting in USA.

Esports betting tips:

Don’t rush, take time to learn the game(s) and the respective teams
Never bet your entire bankroll
Compare odds; different bookmakers have unique offers and odds
Research is key; follow recent results, roster changes and any potential circumstances.