New Jersey Refiles 7 Failed Gambling Bills — Here’s What Could Actually Pass in 2026

New Jersey lawmakers reopened their 2026 legislative session by refiling seven gambling-related measures that all failed to advance in previous years — some dating back three consecutive sessions without ever reaching a floor vote. While most coverage treats these as fresh proposals, the honest assessment is that most will die again. But three have genuinely changed circumstances that could give them new life.

The Bills at a Glance

Has a Pulse: Bills With Changed Circumstances

SCR31: Northern Casino Expansion

What it does: Proposes a constitutional amendment to allow slot machines at horse racetracks, specifically targeting the Meadowlands in North Jersey and Monmouth Park.

Why it failed before: New Jersey voters crushed a similar proposal 77% to 23% in a 2016 referendum — the largest referendum defeat in state history. At the time, critics called the measure “too broad” and warned it would devastate Atlantic City’s casino industry. All 21 counties voted against it, with 1.5 million voters casting ballots.

What’s different now: On December 15, 2025, New York’s Gaming Commission approved three full-scale casinos in New York City: Bally’s in the Bronx at Ferry Point Park, Hard Rock’s Metropolitan Park near Citi Field in Queens, and Resorts World at Aqueduct. The state projects $7 billion in tax revenue from 2027 to 2036, with $1.5 billion in licensing fees. This comes as New York’s sports betting market continues to break records, making the region an increasingly competitive gambling hub.

Those NYC casinos will directly compete with Atlantic City for the same regional customers. Resorts World at Aqueduct could begin full operations as early as March 2026; the Hard Rock and Bally’s locations are expected by 2030.

“This plants a flag to send a message to New York State that if they open a casino in Manhattan, that New Jersey is ready to respond to the competition.”
— State Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Wood Ridge)

The political calculus has shifted. In 2016, NYC casinos were hypothetical. Now they’re licensed, funded, and building. The proposed Meadowlands development carries an estimated price tag of $2 billion, according to Jeff Gural, who has owned the Meadowlands Racetrack since 2011. To reach the November 2026 ballot, lawmakers must pass the amendment by June 2026.

Assessment: The existential threat from NYC changes everything. Still faces opposition from Atlantic City stakeholders, but the competitive pressure creates genuine urgency that didn’t exist before.

SB 2160: Micro Bet Ban

What it does: Prohibits rapid, play-by-play wagers (micro bets) and establishes penalties for violations.

Why it failed before: Introduced late in the 2025 session with no time for hearings.

What’s different now: 2025 was the year sports betting scandals exploded across American professional sports — and the most damaging revelations involved micro bets specifically. These integrity concerns mirror the $33 million match-fixing crisis that rocked Bangladesh Premier League cricket, showing the global scope of betting-related corruption.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were federally indicted in November 2025 for allegedly rigging individual pitches. According to the Department of Justice, both pitchers “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches.” Prosecutors say gamblers won at least $450,000 wagering on their rigged pitches, with Clase’s alleged involvement dating back to May 2023.

MLB responded swiftly. One day after the indictments, the league announced an agreement with more than 20 sportsbooks — representing over 98% of the regulated U.S. betting market — to cap wagers on pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays.

“‘Micro-bet’ pitch-level markets (e.g., ball/strike; pitch velocity) present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game.”
— MLB Official Statement

Micro bets enable granular manipulation that doesn’t require fixing entire games. A pitcher can throw one intentional ball. A basketball player can commit one early foul. The 2025 scandals proved these vulnerabilities are being actively exploited.

Assessment: The MLB pitch-rigging indictments give New Jersey lawmakers concrete evidence that micro bets create integrity risks. This bill addresses a documented problem with federal prosecution precedent.

SB 1170: College Player Props Ban

What it does: Bars player-specific proposition bets on college sports.

Why it failed before: Passed initial committees in both 2024 and 2025 but never reached floor votes.

What’s different now: The 2025 college basketball point-shaving scandal.

In November 2025, the NCAA permanently banned six players from three schools — University of New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State, and Arizona State — for game manipulation and sharing information with known bettors. Federal investigators connected some defendants to the same networks behind the NBA and MLB gambling prosecutions.

“I did go out there and not do my best: basically shooting the ball and not actually trying to make it… I just had a child. The school wasn’t paying me, so I was trying to get money to actually take care of my child.”
— Dae Dae Hunter, former University of New Orleans guard, on ABC’s “Good Morning America”

Player props on college athletes are particularly vulnerable because college players receive no salary, making even small payments significant, and because mid-major programs receive less integrity monitoring than major conferences.

Assessment: The 2025 college basketball scandal provides exactly the case study lawmakers needed. Combined with the NBA and MLB prosecutions, there’s now a documented pattern across amateur and professional sports.

Life Support: Possible But Unlikely

SB 2334: $250K Annual License Fee

What it does: Establishes a fixed $250,000 annual sports wagering license fee, directing $140,000 to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey and $110,000 to addiction treatment programs.

Why it’s struggling: No hearings in either 2024 or 2025. The sports betting industry opposes additional fees, and New Jersey already increased its online casino and sports betting tax rate to 19.75% in 2025.

Slim chance: Budget pressures could revive interest. The dedicated funding for problem gambling treatment provides a policy justification beyond pure revenue extraction.

SB 2356: Advertising Restrictions Study

What it does: Requires the Division of Gaming Enforcement to study advertising language and establish mandatory responsible messaging. Grants regulators authority to limit ads near schools and targeting vulnerable populations.

Why it’s struggling: The Assembly companion passed its initial committee but stalled in the second.

Slim chance: France’s gambling regulator ANJ just imposed unprecedented marketing budget caps on operators ahead of the 2026 World Cup. For the first time, operators are prohibited from exceeding their announced promotional budgets — projected at €785 million for 2026, up 25% from 2025. The ANJ also floated a “whistle-to-whistle” TV ban on betting ads. European regulatory trends sometimes influence U.S. state-level discussions, though the connection is indirect.

Dead on Arrival: Bills That Won’t Pass

SB 1500: Sweepstakes Casino Regulation

What it does: Would designate sweepstakes casinos as internet gaming and subject them to New Jersey’s existing online gaming regulations, including the 19.75% tax rate.

Why it’s dead: Governor Murphy already signed a complete ban on sweepstakes casinos on August 15, 2025. Bill A5447 made it “unlawful to operate sweepstakes-based gambling in New Jersey,” with first-offense fines up to $100,000 and subsequent violations up to $250,000.

SB 1500 was the “regulate them” approach. The Legislature chose “ban them” instead. This bill exists only as a legislative artifact — there’s nothing left to regulate.

New Jersey joined California, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, and New York in banning sweepstakes casinos in 2025. The sweepstakes crackdown has been a nationwide trend — Maryland recently refiled its own sweepstakes ban after operators ignored cease-and-desist orders, Mississippi introduced SB2104 targeting the same platforms, and Tennessee shut down sweepstakes operations entirely.

SB 1444: Deceptive Advertising Restrictions

What it does: Restricts deceptive or inappropriate advertising practices for casino games and sports pools.

Why it’s dead: This bill has been introduced for three consecutive years. It has never advanced past initial committee. There’s no indication 2026 will be different — no new scandals, no regulatory pressure, no changed circumstances. A perennial zombie bill with no momentum.

What This Means for Players

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The Bigger Picture

New Jersey’s 2026 gambling bills illustrate a state wrestling with competing pressures: protecting Atlantic City’s existing casino industry, responding to integrity scandals, and facing genuine competitive threats from neighboring states.

The bills that have momentum — northern casino expansion, micro bet restrictions, college props bans — all respond to events that occurred after the 2025 session ended. Changed circumstances create legislative opportunities.

The bills that don’t — sweepstakes regulation, advertising restrictions — either address problems already solved by other legislation or lack any new catalyst for action.

Seven bills were refiled. Maybe three get serious consideration. That’s how legislative zombie bills work: most stay dead, but occasionally the circumstances that killed them change.