NJ Bill Seeks to Ban Microbetting on Sports

A New Jersey legislator is looking to slam the brakes on microbetting, one of the fastest-growing trends in sports gambling. 

Assemblyman Dan Hutchison, a Democrat, introduced Bill A5971 on Friday, with the purpose of preventing state sportsbooks from providing bets on individual plays, pitches, or other in-game actions that unfold in seconds.

The Bill, a “Commonsense Step”

Microbetting, where users can wager on the outcome of the next pitch in baseball or the next play in football, has become increasingly popular, but Hutchison argues its design encourages nonstop, impulsive wagering.

“The pace of micro betting is designed to keep people gambling constantly, making one impulsive bet after another with little time to think,” Hutchison said. 

The lawmaker went on to call the bill “a commonsense step to slow that cycle down and protect individuals from the financial and emotional harms that can come with excessive betting.”

Sportsbooks that would continue to offer microbets could be slapped with fines between $500 and $1,000 for each violation. The offenses would be classified as disorderly persons charges. 

The proposal is just one of the freshest steps that the Garden State has taken in its battle to tame the fast-growing gambling sector.

Lawmakers recently increased tax rates on online sports betting and iGaming and passed a ban on sweepstakes-style casinos.

At the start of the month, Governor Phil Murphy inked a bill preventing sportsbooks from sealing deals with public colleges and universities. The state is also working on restricting prop bets on college athletes.

Microbetting, however, is a growing piece of the sports betting market that more and more big operators are showing interest in. DraftKings, for instance, bought microbetting platform Simplebet last year for around $80 million. 

At the end of 2022, Caesars Entertainment inked a multi-year agreement with the same leading micro-betting provider.

“It’s About Setting Boundaries”

Hutchison doesn’t seem prepared to back down, arguing these bets are not only harder to regulate but also more susceptible to corruption.

He pointed to “several reported cases” of athletes allegedly adjusting their play to influence microbet outcomes. 

Though he didn’t offer specifics, Major League Baseball recently launched an investigation into Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz for two suspicious pitches. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said some microbet types “strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable.”

“This legislation isn’t about banning sports betting,” Hutchison said. “It’s about setting boundaries to ensure it’s done responsibly.”

He also noted a 277% spike in calls to New Jersey’s problem gambling helpline since sports betting was legalized, a jump echoed by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.“Eliminating micro betting,” said Council executive director Luis Del Orbe, “would take an essential step toward protecting citizens” from the potentially harmful effects of reckless forms of gambling.