Is gambling legal in New Jersey? It sure is!
New Jersey enjoys some of the most liberal gambling laws in the whole of the US. Not only was gambling legalized here in 1976, but the Garden State has also been a real leader when it comes to gambling over the internet. As such, it’s just as legal and safe to play table games like roulette at a casino resort in Atlantic City as it is to put down a bet on the New Jersey Devils at an online sportsbook.
However, it’s important to note that there are still a few peculiarities in the New Jersey gambling laws that might catch you out. Plus there is no shortage of rogue ‘offshore’ gambling sites who pretend to be legit, but are actually illegal and dangerous too. So stick with us as we examine the current state of legal gambling in the Garden State.
Who regulates the New Jersey online gambling laws?
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has the power to distribute licenses to gambling operators in the state. These licenses basically make it legal for companies to offer customers different forms of gambling such as casino gaming, sports betting, poker gaming, horse racing betting, daily fantasy sports, lottery games and bingo games.
These licenses are granted by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) when an operator has been found to be able to put on a professional, safe and fair gambling service. Plus each operator will have to pay a significant amount of money to purchase the license and this money goes towards things like responsible gambling programs as well as the basic regulation of gambling across the Garden State.
The DGE distributes licenses and regulates New Jersey gambling both in the physical and online domain. For example, New Jersey currently has seven physical casinos in Atlantic City which each have a licence from the DGE. These licenses also give these casinos the option to operate ‘online skins’ with gambling brands from outside of the state. As such, there has been an explosion of online gambling sites in New Jersey in recent years.
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The minimum age of gambling in New Jersey
New Jersey has strict requirements over how old you have to be to gamble in the state. This means that you have to be at least 21 years old to bet on sport, play casino games, and enjoy online poker. However it’s worth noting that the minimum age requirements drop down to 18 years of age for fantasy sports, horse racing betting, bingo and the lottery.
These minimum age requirements apply regardless of whether you are gambling online or in-person. Similarly, the minimum age applies whether you are a New Jersey resident or if you are visiting from out of state.
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Do you have to pay gambling tax in NJ?
Yes, you will have to pay tax on any winnings made from gambling in New Jersey. This means that at the end of a tax year, you will have to report any winnings earned on your New Jersey tax return. Thankfully you can offset your winnings with any losses incurred from your gambling. Just bear in mind that if you have lost more money than you have won, you won’t be able to claim any tax back!
For pretty much all kinds of gambling, you’ll have to pay a standard 3% tax rate on your winnings. The only exception is if you win money on the lottery. You’d only have to pay tax if you won over $10,000. So if you won between $10,001 and $50,000, you’d have to pay a 5% rate, which goes up to a 8% tax rate if you’d won over $50,000.
Legal sports betting in New Jersey
The good news is that sports betting has been 100% legal in New Jersey since 2018. This applies to sports betting online and betting on sport in person. You will have to be at least 21 years old to bet on sports in New Jersey, although you don’t necessarily have to be a New Jersey resident to enjoy NJ sports betting. Instead you will have to be betting within the state borders.
You can put down sports bets in-person at one of the licensed New Jersey casinos or racetracks. Plus there are over two dozen fully regulated online sportsbooks operating within the Garden State. So that whether you are wagering on the New Jersey Devils in the NHL or anything in the NBA, MLB, NFL and beyond, you can legally do it all in NJ!
Enjoy legal casino gaming in NJ
New Jersey has a long history of legal casino gaming that primarily focuses on the legendary casino hotels of Atlantic City. However, things took a big step forward in 2013 when online casino gaming was legalized in the Garden State. This made it just as easy to play a slot game online as it was at a bricks-and-mortar casino.
At present there are well over 20 fully regulated online casinos operating in New Jersey. These all offer hundreds of casino games that take in everything from slot games to roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps and poker. Just remember that you have to be at least 21 years old and playing within state borders.
Play poker legally in New Jersey
It’s perfectly legal to play poker in the Garden State. This is equally true for if you are playing in a poker room in Atlantic City or if you are playing at one of the fully regulated poker sites currently operating in New Jersey.
You have to be at least 21 years old to play poker in New Jersey, and you’ll have to do so from within the state borders. But whether you like to play a few rounds of No Limit Texas Hold’em or prefer Omaha poker, you should find no shortage of legal options within the Garden State.
Legally wagering on horse racing in NJ
At present, New Jersey only permits a kind of parimutuel betting on horse racing. This is where your bets are pooled together with those of other punters. The good news is that there are lots of great racebooks operating in the state. These cover those at physical racebook outlets at racetracks like Monmouth Park, as well as a good range of online horse betting sites currently serving New Jersey.
You only have to be 18 years of age to bet on horse racing in NJ, and you’ll have to pay the standard 3% tax rate on any winnings made from your horse racing bets.
Try legal daily fantasy sports in New Jersey
Fantasy sports is big news in New Jersey, and it’s perfectly legal too. There are all of the online operators you’d expect in NJ so you’ll get full access to all of the DFS contests for everything from the NFL and NBA to the NHL and MLB. The minimum age requirement for DFS gaming is just 18. This is because there’s still a fair amount of disagreement about whether fantasy sports is gambling or not. Just be sure to only play at licensed operators to ensure your online safety.
Play bingo legally in the Garden State
It’s perfectly legal to play bingo in New Jersey. You have to be at least 18 years old to play bingo for real money. This is equally true if it’s in person at a regular bingo hall or even if you are playing bingo online at a New Jersey online casino site.
The current lottery laws in New Jersey
You can also legally play the lottery in New Jersey. This applies to the state-run New Jersey lottery as well as those massive national lotteries like Mega Millions and PowerBall. You will have to be at least 18 years old to play the lottery in the Garden State. But regardless of whether you’re buying your lottery tickets from a physical retail outlet, or a lottery site, you can do it all legally in New Jersey.
Where can I find NJ legal gambling sites?
We’ve got a great comparison of all of the best legit online gambling sites currently operating in New Jersey. Each of these operators has been checked by our team of experts to make sure that they have all of the required regulation from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Plus you’ll find that each NJ gambling site we recommend has all of the digital encryption technologies required to keep your data and deposits safe.
You can also read our operator reviews to get more information about how these gambling sites work. This means that you’ll quickly be able to see which site has the best NFL odds, which site has the biggest collection of progressive jackpot slot games, and which site has the most generous bonuses. Plus we can always help you find those operators who go above and beyond the standard wagering service. Whether it’s free live streaming of major NBA matches, massive reward programs or even a special kind of live dealer casino game, you’ll find all of the information you need right here.
Our reviews will also go in deep to examine what kinds of payment methods you can use for making secure and fast deposits and withdrawals. Plus we’ll even examine how good the online gambling site is at customer support. In short, we’ll give you everything you need to find your perfect online gambling site in New Jersey.
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Why you should avoid offshore gambling sites
There’s a chance that you might stumble across an offshore gambling site when you play online. These are those gambling sites that are based outside of the US and have nothing in the way of US licensing. While these offshore gambling sites pretend that they serve US customers, they are actually acting illegally and can be dangerous too. Don’t be fooled by the fact that many of these sites claim to serve customers over the age of 18 years or the claims that they accept Bitcoin payments, as they simply cannot be trusted.
The fact that these offshore gambling sites are operating without any US regulation means that there is nothing holding them to put on a safe or fair gambling service. As such, you could win your bets at an offshore sportsbook, and the operator could refuse to pay out and there would be nothing that you could do about it.
Plus these offshore operators tend to get shut down relatively frequently, and as such, there is every chance that they could vanish with your money. Thankfully, New Jersey has no shortage of excellent legal online sportsbooks and casino sites, so there should be no need to visit any of these rogue operators.
Conclusion - Check our updates of the NJ gambling laws
By now you won’t have to answer questions like, ’Is online gambling legal in New Jersey?’ anymore. Instead you can simply enjoy heading to one of our approved online gambling sites to enjoy a 100% legal, safe and fun way to put your bets down. Plus you can wager in confidence with all of the information you need about things like gambling tax, minimum gambling ages and so on.
However, we should note the fact that gambling laws aren’t necessarily set in stone. After all, there is nothing stopping the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement from changing the online gambling legislation every now and then. So be sure to bookmark this page so that you know what you can legally do at the best gambling sites in New Jersey!
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Is gambling legal in New Jersey? FAQ
❓ What are the New Jersey online gambling laws?
Check out our guide to see what the online gambling laws are in New Jersey and which gambling sites offer you a legal and safe way to play. All operators on our shortlist of NJ legal gambling sites have been checked to make sure that they offer fair and secure sports bets and casino games. So whether you’re looking to find a legit online sportsbook or a legal NJ online casino, you’ll find all of the information you need right here.
✅ What does the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement do?
Make sure that you read our guide where we take a close look at how the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement operates in the Garden State. After all, if you have ever asked a question like, ‘Is online poker legal in NJ?’ then you’ll find that the Division of Gaming Enforcement has a big part to play in the answer. So check out our guide to find out more about how this affects what you can do at NJ legal gambling sites.
💰 Do I have to pay tax on my New Jersey gambling revenue?
Check out our guide that gives you a handy overview to the question of whether you have to pay tax on your gambling winnings when you play at New Jersey gambling sites. We’ve also taken the time to create a more in-depth guide that covers NJ gambling winning tax more comprehensively. All of which should ensure that you know exactly how much you need to pay in tax should you get lucky in anything from sports betting to casino gaming.
👀 What is the New Jersey gambling age?
The gambling age in New Jersey varies according to the kind of thing that you are wagering on. Make sure that you read our legal guide that gives you a basic overview of how old you have to be to legally enjoy things like sports betting and casino gaming at New Jersey legal gambling sites. Plus we’ve got a more comprehensive guide to the gambling age in NJ if you wish to find out more about this matter.
🎲 Is it legal to try online gambling in New Jersey?
It ultimately depends on what kind of gambling you are wishing to try. After all, it’s one thing to ask a question like, ‘Can you bet online in NJ?’ but you might get a different answer if you were asking a similar question about casino gaming, poker, fantasy sports and so on. So make sure that you read our guide to see what kinds of NJ legal gambling sites are available in the Garden State.
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