New Jersey Advances Esports Betting Bill Further

Esports just scored yet another win in the state of New Jersey after a bill on the same was recently introduced. After the New Jersey Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee approved it, the bill which seeks to permanently allow esports betting in the state is now headed to the Speaker for consideration.

Why Now?

At the beginning of the year, there were some speculations about the arrival of esports betting to New Jersey. This finally came to pass in late January with the unveiling of a proposed esports betting bill whose main proponent was Assemblyman Ralph Cuomo. It marked the beginning of the process of consideration for the legalization of esports betting – all that was left was a bit more clarification.

Thankfully, the esports betting bill was passed through local legislation channels. As mentioned earlier, after passing the committee, the bill is headed to the office of the Speaker who will be tasked with reviewing its contents before deciding on whether to approve it or reject it. There is a lot of optimism with regards to the chances of the bill being passed by the Speaker especially considering all of the potential revenue benefits.

“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.”

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, one of bill A637’s primary sponsors.

Esports has certainly evolved immensely and is now arguably one of the fastest-growing sectors on the planet. It is set to become one of the top ones in the near future. With so many people gaining interest in the activity, esports betting is increasingly becoming an equally lucrative venture. That said, with states like New Jersey taking the leap this early on to capitalize on the budding esports betting industry they will become havens for the same in the near future.

What Bill A637 Entails

In many ways, esports will be just like other forms of sports betting in New Jersey. Even though the residents will have access to permanent esports operations, there will be a few restrictions and they are all outlined in the bill. To begin with, just like in the case of sports betting, bettors will not be able to place bets on esports events involving high schools. In essence, this implies that betting will not be available in cases where people below the age of 18 are involved.

On a similar note, esports betting will not be available for any games involving teams from New Jersey colleges and universities. These are pretty standard requirements and most esports fans and bettors in New Jersey will not have trouble adjusting to them.

All in all, the development in esports betting in New Jersey gives a rough estimate of what we can expect from the wider United States esports market in the near future. There is a lot more to come.