Colleges in New Jersey can no longer partner with sports betting companies or display ads for operators on campuses. Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 2155 into law on Tuesday with the aim of cutting back on the reach of gambling messaging in academic areas.
covers arenas, stadiums, digital media, and broadcasts
The ban on contractual agreements covers arenas, stadiums, digital media, and broadcasts. Institutions won’t be able to skirt the law by having affiliate boosters partner with sportsbook operators or athletic departments.
One of the co-sponsors of the bill is Senator Joe Cryan, and he believes that the prevalence of betting ads on campus was contributing to concerning levels of erratic gambling behavior by students. Cryan explained that there’s a conflict for schools between the revenue they could generate from betting partnerships and the safeguarding of student welfare.
New Jersey has never been shy about protecting the integrity of its colleges. When it legalized sports betting, one of the main rules was that people couldn’t bet on home state college teams, a rule which is not very common in the US.
Legislation is also currently making its way through the Senate to ban player-specific prop bets in college sports.