The Growth of Online Betting in New Jersey

Online betting has been majorly responsible for the growth of legal betting in other sports. Since 2012, online betting for college and professional sports has been legally permitted. Furthermore, in 2013, New Jersey became the first state in the US to legalize online casinos. This has led to various new sports gambling sites in New Jersey. In fact, New Jersey now has more online casinos and brands than any other state.

So, online betting has had a massive influence on the betting world within New Jersey. But is horse racing still a leading sport?

Horse Race Betting in New Jersey

Historically, horse race betting in New Jersey. Until 1893, horse racing was extremely popular in New Jersey and New York. However, horse racing stopped in New Jersey due to legal concerns after this date. This was made more concrete in 1897 when the constitution banned all forms of gambling in New Jersey

Horse racing did not see a return to New Jersey until 1942 when thoroughbred racing was re-introduced. The regrowth of horse racing was slow. In fact, by 1976, only 86 racing days existed.

Betting on horses was not made legal in New Jersey until 1992. This was much later than competing states such as New York, which meant the betting industry developed much more slowly in New Jersey.

Nowadays, horse racing brings a lot of money through betting. For instance, in 2016, $674,157 million was made through the betting industry. And over half of this was from horse race betting, either online or at a casino.

The number of tracks, events held, and the attendance of these events has dropped pretty drastically. The New Jersey wagering handle is now more significant than the likes of New York, showing its importance within the state. Although, compared to the years when horseracing was first legalized in New Jersey.

This is most likely due to other sports' evolution and betting legalization on these sports. So, what sports are the most popular in New Jersey?

The Most Popular Sports in New Jersey

The evolution of sport and betting has dramatically shifted from horseracing to other sports. Here are some of the most popular sports:

Hockey. Hockey is very closely associated with New Jersey. They have a great team, the New Jersey Devils, who have consistently shown that they are one of the best teams in the world. Bettors generally prefer to bet on teams like this, as they're closely associated with the state, and the games can become more exciting than a horse race.

Soccer. New Jersey was one of the first states to embrace Europe's version of football. They've got a great team close to them, the New York Red Bulls, the third most popular team within the US. There are some outstanding betting odds in soccer too, which further takes away from horse racing within New Jersey

Football. New Jersey has one of the best football stadiums in the US- the MetLife Stadium. As such, many sports fans would rather watch an intense game of football rather than a few horse races. There are also much more favorable bets when it comes to football, as you can bet on a variety of different factors.

Concluding Thoughts

Ultimately, horse racing has been a vital part of the evolution of sport and betting within New Jersey. It was once the only sport that bettors could wager on, gaining popularity and audience numbers. However, with the growth of other sports and the legalization of betting on them, horse racing has begun to decline in popularity. It still brings in a lot of revenue, but the sport and industry are a mere shadow of its former glory. With the emergence of online betting, many bettors would instead wager on their favorite teams and sports, rather than a single horse who could be injured in the first race.