ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey took nearly $1 billion worth of sports bets in December, an encouraging finish to a year in which coronavirus closures and restrictions sent overall gambling revenue down nearly 17%.
Over $6 billion worth of bets were placed last year in New Jersey, which won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2018 that cleared the way for the ongoing expansion of legalized sports betting in America.
Figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the state's nine casinos and three horse tracks that accept sports bets took in over $996 million worth of such wagers in December, the latest in a string of monthly records for U.S. sports betting.
Sports betting in New Jersey is regulated by the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). With that, New Jersey has regulations that may differ from other states. For instance, the state prohibits wagering on collegiate sporting events that take place in New Jersey or involve a New Jersey college or university team. Online Betting on Sports & Casino has never been easier! Experts tips on daily odds, picks, welcome bonuses and much more! T&Cs apply, 21+, NJ only.
Slot and table games revenue for the casinos, including internet betting, was $2.64 billion in 2020. When sports betting revenue is added, New Jersey saw more than $2.88 billion in revenue for the year.
That represented a decline of 16.9% in a year in which the casinos were closed for 3 1/2 months. Even when they were allowed to reopen in July, they had to restrict operations to 25% of capacity — limits that remain in place today.
'Significant revenue was lost in those early months and, throughout the second half of the year, the resurging public health crisis continued to impact business in Atlantic City,' said James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. 'Atlantic City's stakeholders have been working hard to build a strong foundation for recovery. As society begins to approach a return to normalcy, Atlantic City will be ready to restore its recent positive momentum.'
Only one casino, the Golden Nugget, took in more money in 2020 than it did in 2019. It won more than $415 million, an increase of nearly 10% over the previous year.
Harrah's had the biggest decline in 2020, down 46.8% to $166.3 million. Resorts was close behind, down 43.8% to $100.2 million. Caesars was down an identical 43.8% to $152.3 million.
Tropicana was down 33.8% to $231.5 million; Borgata, the last of the nine casinos to reopen last year, was down 27.6% to $577.3 million; Hard Rock was down 17% to $290.5 million, and Ocean was down 10.1% to $214.1 million.
Ocean CEO Terry Glebocki said 2020 was a challenging year.
'We're optimistic about the future as demonstrated by Ocean's 18% year-to-date growth in casino win during the year's eight operational months,' she said. 'In a time when many businesses in the country are ramping down operating schedules, Ocean is actively reinvesting in its property by debuting new venues likes our new high-limit slot experience, The Cove.'
Under two different owners in 2020, Bally's won nearly $97 million, compared with $181.5 a year earlier.
New Jersey has led the nation for months in the amount of money bet on sports within its borders. With the NFL playoffs underway in the run-up to the Super Bowl, January 2021 is almost certain to eclipse the $1 billion mark for total amount of money wagered, known in the industry as 'handle.'
But that number is separate from, and much larger than, sports betting revenue, or the amount of money sports books keep after paying out winning bets and other expenses. New Jersey's casinos and horse tracks kept just under $400 million in sports betting revenue last year, an increase of over 33% from a year earlier.
And its dominance of the market appears to be in jeopardy: New York state announced last week it will legalize mobile sports betting this year, a move certain to cut into New Jersey's sports betting business. Industry experts say about 20% of New Jersey's sports bets are made by New Yorkers who cross the border to wager; that is money New Jersey soon will no longer be getting.
Internet gambling revenue more than doubled last year, going from $482 million in 2019 to $970 million in 2020, another bright spot for an industry still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Internet gambling had been on a roll for years in New Jersey, but increased even more this year as gamblers had no option but to bet on their phones or laptops from mid-March to early July, and even after they reopened, some felt more comfortable gambling from home.
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Home to the oldest racetrack in the United States, New Jersey boasts a rich horse racing history.
The NJ horse racing industry dates back to the 1830s at Freehold Raceway, a track that continues to operate almost 200 years later. Currently, you can watch and bet on live standardbred and thoroughbred racing at three racetracks in the Garden State.
There's also legal off-track and account wagering in New Jersey so you can watch and bet on horse races from across the globe at Atlantic City casinos with racebooks, off-track wagering facilities around the state and online sites like TVG.
This page includes a complete overview of horse racing in New Jersey, including everything you need to know about the state's racetracks, the most popular races in the country, and how you can bet on horse racing, online and off, right here at home.
Best racing site for betting in NJ
How to bet on horse races in NJ
Horse racing dates back to the 1830s at Freehold, but it was still illegal to bet on horse races in New Jersey until 1939 when voters backed an amendment allowing pari-mutuel betting at in-state racetracks.
Six decades later, New Jersey lawmakers passed the Off-trackand Account Wagering Act in 2001. This made it perfectly legal to bet on horse races in four types of places:
- Online at TVG
- NJ racetracks
- Casinos with racebooks
- Off-track wagering facilities
Online horse betting at TVG
New Jersey's Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes account wagering on horse races perfectly legal in the state.
That means NJ residents 18 years old or older are free to open an account and bet on local and simulcast races from around the world.
When you join TVG and have your account setup, you can place bets:
- Online using the 4NJBets / TVG racing app
- At a self-service machine inside an NJ racetrack
- Over the phone
Opening a TVG / 4NJBets horse betting account
You can open a TVG account to bet on horse races using just a minimal amount of personal information, including:
- Your name
- A valid email address
- Your phone number
- Your date of birth
- A personal password
- Your current address
Funding your TVG horse betting account
New Jersey Sports Betting Sites
Once it's open, you're going to need to fund your account before you can place bets. Fortunately, TVG offers a variety of deposit options for you to choose from, including: BetCash (ACH/eCheck), Debit/Credit Card, TVG Prepaid Card, PayNearMe, PayPal, Gift Cards, Wire Transfer, Deposit at the track, Money orders and checks.
New Jersey racetracks
Close to a dozen racetracks have come and gone in NJ's almost-200 year history of live horse racing. Today, three racetracks remain in the Garden State, offering live standardbred and thoroughbred racing, simulcast racing and pari-mutuel betting on all of it.
Freehold Raceway
Races have been held at what is now central New Jersey's Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The track was officially established in 1853, making it the first racetrack in the United States.
- Live Racing: Standardbred
- Dates: Jan. 1-May 31, September-mid-December
- Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year-round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
- Location: 130 Park Ave., Freehold, NJ 07728
- Contact: 732-462-3800
- Owner: Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing
Meadowlands Racetrack
In East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex, the Meadowlands has live thoroughbred and harness racing. Notable annual races include the Hambletonian.
- Live Racing: Thoroughbred and standardbred
- Dates: Year-round
- Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
- Sports Betting:FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands
- Location: 1 Racetrack Dr., East Rutherford, NJ 07073
- Contact: 201-843-2246
- Owner: Jeff Gural
Monmouth Park
Monmouth Park features thoroughbred racing on the Jersey Shore. Notable annual races include the Haskell Invitational.
- Live Racing: Thoroughbred
- Dates: Early May to Labor Day
- Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year-round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
- Sports Betting: Monmouth Park Sports Book by William Hill
- Location: 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport, NJ 07757
- Contact: 732-222-5100
- Owner: New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
Atlantic City casinos with racebooks
The Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes it legal for Atlantic City casinos to open racebooks and offer pari-mutuel wagering on simulcast races from NJ racetracks and horse racing facilities across the globe.
Currently, only one casino has:
Borgata's Race & Sports Book
The only place in Atlantic City where you can bet on horse racing. Located across from the Borgata Hotel Casino North Entranceand Poker Room. Formerly known as the Racebook, Borgata's Race and Sports Book now takes sports bets as well.
Features 100 seats with individual flatscreen monitors, 10 betting windows, and self-serve kiosks for horse racing bets.
Plus, the Boot and Whip bar features a video wall displaying live events and races.
- Location: 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Licensed off-track wagering facilities
The Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes it legal for off-track wagering facilities to launch in the state and offer pari-mutuel wagering on simulcast races from NJ racetracks and horse racing facilities around the world.
The NJ Racing Commission lists the following licensed off-track wagering facilities:
Favorites at Egg Harbor
- Location: 6055 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor, NJ 08235
- Phone: 609-804-6240
Favorites at Hillsborough
- Location: 150 Route 206, Hillsborough, NJ 08844
- Phone: 908-722-1415
Favorites at Gloucester
- Location: 1300 Blackwood-Clementon Rd., Clementon, NJ 08021
- Phone: 856-441-4253
Favorites at Toms River
- Location: 1071 Highway 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755
- Phone: 732-240-1210
Favorites at Woodbridge
- Location: 3 LaFayette Rd., Fords, NJ 08863
- Phone: 732-512-5000
Winners Bayonne
- Location: 400 Route 440 North, Bayonne, NJ 07002
- Phone: 201-437-5780
How to bet on horse races in NJ
Betting on a horse race is much easier than it may seem. Sure, there are some complicated names for the bets you can place, but they're all relatively straightforward.
Whether you're betting on a live standardbred or thoroughbred race at one of the three racetracks in NJ, or a simulcast race at the track, an Atlantic City casino racebook, an off-track wagering facility or online with 4NJBets — the following basic and more advanced bets are available:
Straight bets
Straight bets are about picking winners, and who might finish in the top three in any race. Basic straight bets include:
- Win: Bet on a horse to win, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
- Place: Bet on a horse to finish first or second, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
- Show: Bet on a horse to finish first, second or third, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
- Across the Board: Three separate bets on the same horse including a bet to win, place, and show.
Exotic bets
Exotics offer a little more variety, and often bigger odds, but these bets are still primarily about picking winners, and who might finish in the top three in any race. These bets include:
- Exacta: Bet on two horses to finish first and second, in that order, and get paid out at big odds. The exacta can also be boxed, which is like two separate bets flipping the order of finish.
- Quinella: Bet on two horses to finish first and second in any order and get paid out at odds that are slightly less than the exacta.
- Trifecta: Bet on three horses to finish first, second and third, in that order, and get paid out at even bigger odds. Trifectas can also be boxed, which is like making separate trifecta bets changing the finishing order of the three horses.
- Superfecta: Bet on four horses to finish first, second, third and fourth, in that order, and book a big payday. Superfecta bets can be boxed, but boxing starts to get a little expensive with four horses.
Wheeling
You can wheel any of these exotic bets. This is like fixing the finishing position of some horses and adding bets with more horses for later finishing positions to make various winning combinations.
You ‘key' the horses you like at the top and mix in more possibilities to save money over boxing while giving you additional opportunities to win.
The Triple Crown
The biggest event in US horse racing is actually three events. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, or just the Triple Crown, is a trio of races held annually from May to early June featuring the top three-year-old thoroughbreds.
The horses vie to become a Triple Crown winner by winning all three:
Legal Sports Betting In New Jersey
- Kentucky Derby: The first leg normally held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky. It is also known as The Run for the Roses. The Derby is typically run on a 1 1/4 miles track. The 2020 Kentucky Derby was rescheduled from May 2 to Sept. 5, 2020.
- Preakness Stakes: The second leg typically held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at the Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. The Preakness is typically run on a 1 3/16 miles track. The 2020 Preakness Stakes, originally set for May 16, 2020, has been moved to Oct. 3, 2020
- Belmont Stakes: The jewel of the Triple Crown typically held at Belmont Park, New York, in the first week of June. If a horse has won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, media coverage tends to explode for this race. The longer 1.5 mile race is also known as The Test of the Champion. The 2020 Belmont Stakes will be run before the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes for the first time ever after being moved to June 20, 2020. Plus, it will be run on a 1 1/8 miles track as a result of the change in timing.
Only 13 horses have won the Triple Crown. The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919.
Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978 and there was a 37-year drought following his win. American Pharoah broke that 37-year streak in 2015. Justify took the title in 2018 and was the last Triple Crown winner.
Twenty-three horses have won the first two legs but failed to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes.
The Haskell Invitational
The Haskell Invitationalis a race for three-year-old thoroughbreds that typically runs in July at Monmouth Park in New Jersey following the Triple Crown.
The race has been around since 1968 but became an invitation-only $1 million stakes race for three-year-olds on a 1 1⁄8 miles track in 1981.
The 2020 edition is the 52nd Haskell Invitational Stakes and it is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2020.
The Hambletonian Stakes
The Hambletonian is an American harness race for three-year-old standardbreds. It is the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing. The race is typically run at Meadowlands Racetrack on the first Saturday in August with a $1 million purse.
The 95th Hambletonian is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020.
NJ horse racing history
Historians claim there has been horse racing in New Jersey since the late 1700s and early 1800s. Freehold Raceway, which started hosting races as far back as the 1830s, is considered the oldest racetrack in the US.
Large racetracks in Ho-Ho-Kus, Clifton, North Bergen, Paterson, Vernon and Long Branch began operating in the 1860s and 1870s. The Long Branch Racetrack, now Monmouth Park, opened as New Jersey's first grand racing venue in 1870.
New Jersey made it illegal to bet on horse racing in 1894, but the sport did not leave the state.
Races were held at various tracks, including Weequahic Park in Newark and the Long Branch Racetrack in Oceanside.
Following the 1939 amendment that allowed pari-mutuel betting, Garden State Park in Cherry Hill opened in 1942, followed by Monmouth Park at Long Branch and Atlantic City Race Track in Mays Landing in 1946. These three tracks made up New Jersey's Golden Triangle of thoroughbred racing.
New Jersey Online Sports Betting
The launch of Atlantic City casinos killed the action at Garden State Park and the Atlantic City Race Track and both eventually closed. However, Monmouth Park and Freehold Raceway remained in operation.
New Jersey Sports Betting News
The Meadowlands started hosting harness and thoroughbred racing in the late 1970s and continues to do so today.
