New Jersey Authorizes Casinos To Accept Fantasy Sports Wagers

New Jersey is close to having every type of betting option available in Nevada, and now the state may even take an extra step that Nevada has yet to take. New Jersey casinos have been authorized to accept fantasy sports wagers next NFL season.

Fantasy football has become one of the most lucrative industries within the gambling community over the past decade. Recently, online sites have started to offer daily fantasy gambling where players can bet against each other on various sports outcomes. Now it appears that the land-based casinos will get in on the act.

On Monday, New Jersey regulators will announce a new program that will allow Atlantic City casinos to offer daily bets on players. Much like a regular fantasy team, gamblers will be able to pick a group of players, and then hope they outperform other fantasy teams. The winner for the day would win real cash after submitting a real money entry fee.

The program, which will initially be in a trial mode, will be the first of its kind in the US. Nevada sports books offer team bets, and individual proposition bets, but have yet to offer full fantasy team wagering.

As we detailed last week, FanDuel and several other online fantasy betting sites have become lucrative and stand to be hurt should the New Jersey fantasy plan work out and be extended in the future. Regulators have not yet outlined whether or not the AC casinos could take the fantasy bets as part of their new online gambling offerings.

New Jersey has been searching for a way to get ahead in the gambling industry since losing much of its customer base to neighboring states. Pennsylvania has become the top gaming destination in the East, and New Jersey lawmakers have been working vigorously to change that.

Governor Chris Christie signed online gambling legislation a couple of weeks ago, and Senator Raymond Lesniak has been instrumental in advancing sports wagering bills through the New Jersey Legislature.