New Jersey - A Gambler's Paradise

New Jersey has been a gamblers paradise for years, with Atlantic City and its nine-based land-based casinos having been a big draw from the outset. However, it was the advent of New Jersey online gambling that helped to make it even more attractive.

New Jersey is currently one of just a handful of states in which it is completely legal to play at online casinos. Add in the fact that online sportsbooks and online poker rooms are also legal here and bettors in New Jersey want for nothing.

However, it hasn't always been like this...

A Brief History of Online Gambling in New Jersey 

New Jersey had to overcome quite a few hurdles before it could fully legalize online gambling.

First, the state had to deal with the 1961 Wire Act and the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). These made online gambling illegal, and there were plenty of government officials who would have been quite happy for things to stay that way.

A breakthrough came in February 2013, when Governor Chris Christie signed a revised version of bill A2578/S1565. This piece of legislation made it possible for land-based casinos to be issued with licenses that would enable them to operate affiliated online gaming websites.

Gambling enthusiasts had been trying to get this bill on the books from as early as 2010. Unfortunately for them, Governor Christie - who was opposed to the idea of online gambling - had vetoed it. When he signed the revised version just a few years later, the story made headlines around the world.

The Dawning of a New Era

And so it began. Within months of Governer Christie signing the historical bill, all 12 of Atlantic City's land-based casinos had applied for one of the coveted online gambling licenses. A new era had dawned, the floodgates were open, and nobody in the traditional casino world wanted to be left behind.

In November 2013, no fewer than 13 online gambling websites were soft-launched by the proud owners of the newly issued licences. Seven of those websites were for online casinos and six were for online poker rooms.

Less than a week later, all 13 of those sites were officially launched. In mid-December, the Golden Nugget online casino was opened for business. By the end of 2013, more than 125,000 new player accounts had been opened at online gambling venues in New Jersey. 

Sports Betting in New Jersey

Online casino and poker gaming continued to go from strength to strength in the state, but online sports betting took a while longer to be made legal. New Jersey legalized online sportsbooks in 2018, some five years after online casinos and poker rooms.

Tax Rates for Online Gambling

One of the reasons why New Jersey has embraced online gambling with so much enthusiasm since 2013 is financial. Legalizing the pastime made it taxable, and the pastime of gambling is big business.

New Jersey imposes a lower rate of gambling tax than other states, but more money is wagered here, so the officials aren't complaining.

For gambling at online casinos, the tax rate is 15%. For gambling wins at online and mobile sportsbooks, the tax rate is 13%. A tax rate of 8.5% is applied to any win achieved at retail and land-based sportsbooks.

Gambling Tax New Jersey

New Jersey Online Gambling Regulation

It is the responsibility of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, or DGE, to ensure that all online gambling in the state is being conducted legally.

This is the regulatory body that issues official licences to online casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks. The DGE also checks that games and betting processes are properly tested and verified as being completely fair.

In addition, the DGE constantly monitors venues offering gambling in the state in order to spot violations of the law. When any violation occurs, it has the power to step in and stop them. And where violations are criminal in nature, it works in cooperation with the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice.

All of this ensures that online gambling with a licensed venue in New Jersey is as fair, safe and secure as possible.

Who Can Play at Online Gambling Sites?

You can play at online gambling sites in New Jersey if you meet two legal requirements.

Firstly, you must be old enough to gamble. The legal age for gambling in New Jersey is 21 years.

Secondly, you must be physically in the state of New Jersey. You don't need to actually live in New Jersey to gamble with an online gambling site, but you do need to be there when you use it.

The second rule just mentioned is very good for New Jersey, because it allows anyone living in neighboring states to hop across the border and access its online gambling sites. Many New Yorkers do this quite often, since no online gambling or sports betting is legal in New York.

Online Casinos, Sportsbooks, and Poker Rooms in New Jersey

As you have seen, all online gambling sites in New Jersey must be affiliated with a land-based casino in order to be legal. That isn't a barrier because Atlantic City has a growing number of casinos that are more than willing to attract business online.

You can find more information about online casinos, online poker and online sportsbooks in New Jersey by following the links provided previously. In the meantime, your current online gambling options are presented in the tables below.

Online Casinos

Online Sportsbooks in New Jersey

Online Poker in New Jersey 

As you can see, there are plenty of online gambling sites in New Jersey, which are all completely safe and legal to use.