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New Jersey started its 2026 session by bringing back a set of gambling bills that had been around before. Sweepstakes casinos, limits on sportsbooks, new ad rules, and even the idea of casinos outside Atlantic City are all back on the table.
Most of these proposals were carried over from past years, which usually meant they would stall. This time feels different. New York’s approval of three downstate casinos has put real pressure on Atlantic City, turning old debates into really urgent ones.
Sweepstakes regulation on the cards again
Senate Bill 1500, filed by Sen. Joseph P. Cryan, would treat sweepstakes casinos as internet gaming and put them under New Jersey’s existing online rules.
That means they would need a license from the Division of Gaming Enforcement, face the same oversight as online casinos, and pay taxes on gross gaming revenue like other internet operators.
If the bill passes, sweepstakes casinos would pay the same 19.75% gross gaming revenue tax that applies to online casinos and sportsbooks.
Cryan tried a similar bill last year, but it went nowhere. On the Assembly side, Rep. Clinton Calabrese pulled his companion bill and instead pushed a ban on sweepstakes casinos, which the Legislature passed and Gov. Murphy signed in August 2025, forcing dual‑currency platforms out of the state.
Two bills to tighten gambling advertising
New Jersey lawmakers are once again looking at how gambling is marketed, with two separate bills back on the table. Senate Bill 2356 directs the Division of Gaming Enforcement to review the wording used in ads and set rules for responsible messaging.
It also gives regulators the power to restrict campaigns near schools or in outlets that reach vulnerable groups.
Senate Bill 1444, introduced by Sen. Joseph Cryan, takes aim at misleading or inappropriate promotions tied to casino games and sports pools. Cryan has filed this measure three years in a row, but each time it stalled before moving forward.
SB 2356 has faced similar setbacks. The bill carried over from 2025, and while its Assembly companion cleared one committee, it failed in the next.
Sports betting reform sees three bills
Sports betting is back in the radar in New Jersey, with three bills aimed at how wagers are licensed and placed. One proposal sets a fixed annual license fee of $250,000, splitting the money between the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey and addiction treatment programs.
Another bill would ban mircrobets, rapid, play‑by‑play wagers tied to single pitches or plays. A third measure targets college sports by blocking player‑specific prop bets.
These proposals aren’t new, but the context has changed greatly. Efforts to create the license fee never got a hearing in 2024 or 2025. College prop bet bans cleared the first committees in both years, then stalled. The microbet ban surfaced in late 2025 and didn’t move.
What’s different now is the fallout from betting scandals across college basketball, the NBA, and MLB last year. Those cases made integrity risks real, giving lawmakers real-life examples and federal cases to point to.
With budget pressures also in play, the license fee bill could draw more interest, and the broader package may get a second look in 2026.
Source: GamblingInsider
