NJ Assembly Votes to Ban Sportsbook Ads on College Campuses
Amidst renewed backlash at sportsbook and casino advertising, the New Jersey assembly unanimously passes a bill to limit gambling advertising on college campuses.
Key Facts:
- NJ AB 4113 House would prohibit partnerships between sportsbook operators and college athletic departments.
- New Jersey Bill would also outlaw sports betting advertising on college campuses.
- A new Farleigh-Dickinson Poll shows 76% of New Jersey residents favor tighter restrictions on gambling ads.
- More than $12 billion was wagered on sporting events in the state in 2024.
The New Jersey Assembly sent AB 4113 to the Senate after it had been passed unanimously. The Bill would Regulate partnerships between colleges or college athletic departments and sportsbook operators looking to advertise on college campuses or at college sporting events.
It would still allow Foundations tied to sportsbook operators to make endowments or fund programs as long as there was no direct or indirect advertising to students. This seems like an admirable push by the State Assembly to do something about out-of-control sportsbook and casino advertising.
While no U.S. college currently has a sportsbook partnership, and the American Gaming Association already prohibits such deals, New Jersey lawmakers appear to be taking a preemptive stance on the issue.
A recent Fairleigh Dickinson poll found that 76% of New Jersey residents support stricter sportsbook and casino advertising regulations, reflecting widespread frustration with its growing presence. We suppose pandering to your base with an issue that doesn’t currently exist isn’t the worst political idea.
In this case, there really isn’t even a base to pander to, as a majority of every age demographic, race, and political spectrum agreed that they were tired of the constant bombardment of ads on television, the internet, and at professional sporting events.
New Jersey residents bet an astonishing $12.7 billion on sporting events in 2024, and sportsbooks had a billion reasons to keep those advertising dollars flowing as these operators saw $1.09 billion in revenue. That number was up more than 8% from 2023.
While isolating just the New Jersey market can be challenging, we know that sportsbook operators spent more than $400 million on sportsbook commercials last year.
While that number nationwide has declined 8% from the previous year, in many markets, including New Jersey, it can feel like they are ubiquitous and nonstop.
There are increasing questions about what effect this mass consumption of pro-gambling advertising might have on minors as more and more studies seem to imply an association between online gambling advertising and increased gambling behavior, especially amongst adolescents.
A study by the very same Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, last fall found that while 3% of Americans nationwide reported a gambling problem, that number was closer to 10% amongst the 18-to 30-year-old age group.
This bodes ill as a new generation raised on loot boxes in video games and nonstop advertising on the thrills and excitement of sports betting throughout their formative years comes of age.
So, while AB 4113 doesn’t have any real-world use case, any sign that legislatures might be willing to set up at least some guard rails for responsible gaming advertising should probably be seen as a positive.
