Online gambling NJ — a full guide
Finding the best online NJ gambling sites can kill hours, so we bring it all to you here. If you’re looking for the top legal gambling sites in New Jersey or simply want some tips, you’re certainly on the right page.
You can use the zoom cards below to dive straight into your favorite area. From online casino games to sports betting, poker sites and learning about New Jersey gambling laws, we’ve got you covered.
Further down, we take you right to the action with a list of the best online gambling sites NJ has to offer.
The best New Jersey online gambling sites right now
We’ll cut right to the chase here. You want to play the best gambling sites on offer in New Jersey without having to waste time doing research, right? We feel you. New Jersey offers more options than any other state, but we all know the saying about having too much choice. It can get annoying.
Enter Time2play, with honest and informed reviews that you can trust. In the next sections you will find the top NJ online casinos and sports betting sites that rank highest with our experts. The reason they win top placing is that they’ve scored the highest points across a number of objective criteria and thus managed to prove to us that they offer the best overall gambling experience to players in New Jersey.
| Casino Logo | Odds rating | Bonus | Go to casino Button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
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89/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 92% Playscore based on |
100% match bonus up to $250
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Play now |
Good to know
11 payment methods 
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2
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88/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 92% Playscore based on |
$20 Bonus Dollars + 100% up to $1,000
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Play now |
Good to know
13 payment methods
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3
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87/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 91% Playscore based on |
100% up to $1,000 + $25 Free Play
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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4
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87/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 82% Playscore based on |
100% Deposit Match up to $500 + 500 Free Spins
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Play now |
Good to know
7 payment methods
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5
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86/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 85% Playscore based on |
Bonus Money reload up to $500
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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6
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85/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 86% Playscore based on |
100% up to $2,500 and 2,500 Reward Credits on a $25+ wager
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Play now |
Good to know
11 payment methods
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7
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85/100 Expert rating by Lorella F. 85% Playscore based on |
100% up to $1,000
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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8
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85/100 Expert rating by Lorella F. 84% Playscore based on |
100% up to $1,000
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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9
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85/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 86% Playscore based on |
$25 free + up to $500 in deposit bonuses
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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10
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83/100 Expert rating by Lorella F. 90% Playscore based on |
100% up to $200
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Play now |
Good to know
11 payment methods
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11
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81/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 86% Playscore based on |
200% up to $100 + 25 free spins
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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12
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73/100 Expert rating by Sarah C. 80% Playscore based on |
100% up to $100 + 100 free spins
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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Types of NJ gambling sites — what’s legal?
Honestly? Just about everything.
The big three of online casino, sportsbook and poker are all allowed at New Jersey’s gambling sites.
Other forms of gambling like bingo and the state lottery are also fully available in New Jersey, and are even accessible to slightly younger players than the previously-mentioned forms. Social gambling in the form of ‘free casinos’ or ‘fake money betting’ also shows up from time to time, with some NJ online gambling sites even offering free versions of their products.
The main legal quirk for online gambling in New Jersey is that you need to be physically located in-state to play for real money. Once you’ve got that sorted, you should be good to go at NJ online casinos. As for how old you need to be to gamble in NJ, it’s 21 for most verticals, but 18s have some options too.
| Vertical | Legal age (offline) | Legal age (online) | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | 21 | 21 | 2013 |
| Social casinos | N/A | 21 | 2013 |
| Sportsbook | 21 | 21 | 2018 |
| Social betting apps | N/A | 21 | 2019 |
| Poker | 21 | 21 | 2018 |
| Lottery | 18 | N/A | 2019 |
| Bingo | 18 | 21 | 2013 |
Online casinos — legal since 2013
New Jersey gambling laws are some of the most permissive in the country. It was the first state to legalize internet gambling, and it’s been operating online casino spaces since back in 2013.
Getting ahead of the legal online casinos game early has benefitted NJ’s online gambling scene immensely, as the best online gambling sites NJ clearly outshine the rest of the US. Lots of casino sites operate in different states, and when they have state-specific websites, it’s completely normal to find that New Jersey’s has the most perks by far. At Time2play, we say NJ sets the standard for our online casino reviews.
Whether it’s the fact that NJ online games come with triple the variety of PA’s and MI’s, or that they offer around 5 more payment methods on average, the best NJ casinos are the crème de la crème. For those interested in casino gaming but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge, social casinos provide a terrific avenue into the sector.
- Biggest game libraries — Top sites have 700+
- Lots of software providers — 20+ on average
- Most payment methods — The best casinos offer 15+
- Bonuses aren’t any better than what you find in other states
Online betting sites — legal since 2018
Unsurprisingly, the Garden State pioneered more than just the casino scene. It wasn’t the first state to have legal sports betting — Nevada was a few decades ahead. But NJ did spearhead the push to overturn the USA’s restrictive gambling laws.
It was among the first states to pick up the online sports betting scene in 2018. The current situation? NJ became the first state to break the billion-dollar mark in sports revenue, with Nevada close behind.
So what can you bet on at the best online gambling sites NJ? Practically everything. The only things you can’t bet on are sports games involving local college teams/events. Dog racing is largely illegal too, except for sled races at fairs.
You can bet on professional and out-of-state college events, international sports events, and esports. Obviously, football, basketball and baseball are among the most popular options.
What makes a good sportsbook? According to our data-based ratings, a dream sportsbook should be offering welcome bonuses of at least $500 for deposit matches, or should exceed the $1,000 mark for risk-free bets.
You should be able to bet on at least 30 different sports, and have access to features like bet builders, cash out and live data for in-play bets. Average payout odds of over 96-97% are ideal, or over 95-96% for live betting. Sportsbooks are more evened out across the US than casinos are, but the best NJ betting sites can fight for the top spot.
- VIP rewards for sports bettors
- Most sports available
- Saturated with top operators
- Can’t bet on local college events
| Sportsbook logo | Odds rating | Bonus | Go to sportsbook Button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1
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90/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 94% Playscore based on |
Up to $1,000 back as a Bonus Bet on your first wager
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods
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2
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85/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 91% Playscore based on |
Up to $1,500 back in Bonus Bets
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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3
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85/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 85% Playscore based on |
Bet $20 get $100 in Free Bets
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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4
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84/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 91% Playscore based on |
Up to 200,000 Gold Coins + 9 Sweeps Coins
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Play now |
Good to know
6 payment methods
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5
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83/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 86% Playscore based on |
Second Chance Bet of up to $250
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Play now |
Good to know
6 payment methods
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6
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82/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 89% Playscore based on |
Bet $5 get $200 in Bonus Bets or $1000 First Bet Safety Net
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Play now |
Good to know
8 payment methods
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21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler (call or text in Colorado). |
7
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80/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 87% Playscore based on |
100% match up to $500
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Play now |
Good to know
7 payment methods
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8
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80/100 Expert rating by Ramona D. 83% Playscore based on |
100% up to $100 FC
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Play now |
Good to know
5 payment methods
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9
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80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 83% Playscore based on |
100% up to $100 BC
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Play now |
Good to know
5 payment methods
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10
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80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 86% Playscore based on |
250 Virtual Credits
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Play now |
Good to know
6 payment methods
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11
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75/100 Expert rating by Ramona D. 89% Playscore based on |
Second Chance Bet of up to $500
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Play now |
Good to know
10 payment methods
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12
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67/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 81% Playscore based on |
Spend $10 get $30 of Sweeps Coins
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Play now |
Good to know
7 payment methods
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Online poker — legal since 2013
Poker is one of those online casino games that’s in good shape at New Jersey online casinos, too. The same bill that legalized online casino gambling in 2013 helped the NJ poker scene to get ahead of the competition and grow.
Some of the earliest nj online casino sites to launch, such as 888, have dedicated poker sites, and let you share a single account across the casino, sportsbook and poker verticals.
Online gambling sites in New Jersey again benefit from the size of their operators — big brands bring perks. For example, Caesar’s casino operates in New Jersey, and runs poker through WSOP — the World Series of Poker. WSOP players even earn points for the Caesar’s rewards program.
New Jersey also offers inter-state poker – Nevada, Delaware and NJ merged their player pools back in 2018. With more players to compete for and with, bigger games and better wins arise.
PokerStars, one of the world’s largest brands for the game, also operates in NJ, and has been doing so since 2016. It offers NJ players daily tournaments, driving up the overall quality of the state’s poker offering.
- Daily tournaments
- Daily tournaments
- Prominent operators offer poker
- Only three states for inter-state gambling
Other forms of gambling in NJ
Outside of the three main verticals, there are a few more options for NJ online casino players. Most prominent among these are lotteries, including the state-run New Jersey Lottery. The largest win in its history was a $533-million 2018 prize.
The Garden State also allows charity gambling, run by religious, educational or charitable organizations. This mostly takes the form of bingo games and raffles. The charitable gaming industry is worth over $80 million a year.
While casino, sports betting and poker games are closed off to anyone under 21, the lottery and bingo games can be accessed at 18.
New Jersey lottery
The lottery has been running since 1970, generating some truly sensational wins. Proceeds from the revenue generated go towards retirement benefits for community servants, including teachers, firefighters and other public sectors.
Bingo
Bingo games are pretty popular in New Jersey too. They’re mostly seen offline run by charitable gaming orgs, but NJ is one of the few states that lets the game run online too. Few casinos dedicate specifically to the vertical, though there are exceptions — SugarHouse casino, for example, runs daily games for its players.Atlantic City — NJ’s offline gambling hub
Second only to Vegas when it comes to iconic US gambling spots.
NJ offline gambling got off to a rocky start – a 1974 referendum failed to legalize casinos. The 1976 one passed with the amendment that casinos would be restricted to AC. It’s done well since then, currently running 9 casinos with a total 1,144,943 sq ft of floor space.
As a top destination, you don’t have to jump through many hoops to get gambling in NJ. As long as you’re of legal age (21+), Atlantic City casinos should be your oyster.
Does AC affect NJ online gambling? Most certainly. Online gambling operators must associate with one of the physical casinos to get their legal greenlighting. Borgata’s got the most websites under its banner with 10.
| Retail | Launch date | Online casino | Online sports | Online poker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resorts | May 28, 1978 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Caesar’s | June 26, 1979 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bally’s | December 29, 1979 | No | No | No |
| Harrah’s | November 27, 1980 | Yes | No | No |
| Tropicana | November 26, 1981 | Yes | No | No |
| Golden Nugget | June 19, 1985 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Borgata | July 2, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hard Rock | June 27, 2018 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ocean | June 27, 2018 | Yes | No | No |
How we find and rate the best New Jersey gambling sites
Identifying legal sites is the easy part. With online gambling, New Jersey sites have to be licensed by a government board, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). The government keeps a database of every licensed site for public viewing — if it ain’t there, it ain’t fair.
As for ratings, we use a strict list of criteria and a points-based system, which is the same for all NJ gambling sites. That means that point differences = measurable differences.
Flip through our criteria for an idea of how we rate.
NJDGE license
In accordance with New Jersey gambling laws, all NJ gambling sites must be licensed and regulated by the NJDGE. If a site is active in NJ without the proper licenses, it goes on our blacklist
Products
For the best NJ casinos, we like to see 700+ casino games and 20+ software providers and good range of live dealer games. With NJ sportsbetting, we look at the betting options available, and the quality of bets. We usually want 30+ sports available for bets, and average payout odds of 97%+. For poker, we consider things like the regularity of tournaments, and association with organizations, like WSOP.
Live gambling
Hugely important to the casino vertical. The best online gambling sites in NJ will offer at least 14 different live games from 2+ different software providers, and 24/7 live casino games streamed from inside a real Jersey online casino. In the sports bracket, we want frequently updated odds, live streams, and comprehensive live data that can clearly indicate how a match is going.
Gambling apps
The top gambling apps NJ amount to at least 95% of the web version’s functionality. For the best NJ online casinos, that means including almost all games on mobile. NJ online casino apps should be smooth and easy to navigate, and should have almost no glitches or crashes, especially when making bets in-game. For sportsbooks, apps would have all the functions present on desktop (preferably more), with an optimized small-screen interface.
Payments
New Jersey is a premier state for online gambling with players demanding plenty of ways to pay, quick payouts, and transparent terms. The top NJ online gambling sites should offer 15+ payment methods and withdrawal processing times of under 24 hours, with readily available details on payment policy. As usual, NJ does well; for example, it’s the only state to run Paysafecard casinos.
Platform
Accessibility is key. The best NJ casino online has a smooth website (or app) experience, a sign up that doesn’t take more than 5 minutes, a 1-click bonus claim, and complex search/filter options on the website.
NJ gambling and safety
Gambling is legal in New Jersey, and legalization here requires good enforcement. With NJ being a particularly permissive state for internet gambling, everyone’s eyes are on them — and the state takes pains to ensure everything’s above board and that gamblers have access to safe casinos.
The supreme licensor is the NJDGE (Division of Gaming Enforcement). The organization is highly transparent about who is and is not legal in the state — all legal operators are listed by the DGE. More about the DGE can be learned on the NJ Office of the Attorney General’s website.
The DGE is the investigatory body that makes sure operators are playing fair, and its Technical Services Bureau (TSB) tests casino games and internet security. Interesting fact – online slots have to pay out at least 83% for approval. However, while the DGE does the footwork, it is technically the Casino Control Commission (CCC) that issues the licenses.
There are criteria that need to be followed to retain legal status. The one most people care about —casino games and sportsbooks have to be audited for fairness. In addition, every site with an NJ gambling license is required by law to have an easy-to-find responsible gambling page.
You’ll usually see it in the header or footer of the website — it’s usually a big green circle with the letters RG stamped in yellow over a silhouette of New Jersey.
Any winnings you score on these safe and legal casinos are subject to NJ gambling tax, so do be sure to read up about it to avoid any pitfalls.
New Jersey gambling laws through time
The history of NJ gambling is an interesting one — the state’s always been ahead of the curve when it comes to permissiveness. Lotteries were actually a major revenue stream that helped fund the construction of Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey). A 50-year stint where almost all gambling was banned did little to slow NJ down once things were re-legalized.
These days, the NJ internet gambling industry is an enormous one, as characterized by NJ sports bettors’ record-setting wagering of $1billion in a single month. A lot has changed over the years, but NJ’s status as a prime gambling destination hasn’t. Kick back and take a look through some of the highlights on our timeline.
It begins
Horse racing begins at the Freehold Raceway — the USA’s oldest racetrack.
NJ gambling makes a comeback
After a complete ban on gambling in 1894, betting on racetrack events was officially relegalized.
The lottery comes into play
With a whopping 81.5% voting in favor, a referendum established the creation of the New Jersey Lottery. Five years later, the Pick-It (now Pick-3) was introduced. This was the first legal lottery in the US that allowed players to choose their numbers.
Enter Atlantic City
Casino gambling was legalized, though restricted to Atlantic City. This news shared the front page of The Daily Register with Jimmy Carter’s presidential victory on 3 November of that year. 2 years later, Resorts Atlantic City became NJ’s first casino
New Jersey leads the charge in online gambling
Online gambling in New Jersey is officially legalized for a 10-year trial period, setting the stage for the rest of the US to be able to play online casino games.
The population benefits
NJ gambling tax revenue exceeds $100 million.
Kick-off time
NJ sports betting is officially legalized, and Governor Phil Murphy places the state’s first sportsbook bet.
A significant statistic
New Jersey makes history again. In September 2021, casinos and racetracks accepted $1.01 billion worth of sports wagers, making NJ the first state to break the billion-dollar mark in a single month.
Latest NJ gambling updates — Esports debuts
With NJ gambling moving at warp-speed, we’ll keep a highlight reel going here to keep you abreast of the latest updates.
- Esports gambling entering NJ for the first time — Jan/Feb 2022
- Borgata fined over $75k for failing to check player IDs
- 888 pulls out of NJ sports betting scene, planning to return with different brand
- BetMGM and Borgata launch online bingo for the first time
FAQs
Is online gambling legal in NJ?
Yes. New Jersey was one of the first states to legalize online gambling back in 2013, and there are now over 30 legal NJ operators. Check out our list of top NJ gambling sites.
Can you gamble at 18 in NJ?
For most forms of gambling, you need to be 21 years old. 18 year olds can buy lottery tickets, or participate in charitable gambling. A full breakdown of gambling-by-age requirements can be found in our NJ gambling age section.
Is online gambling in NJ safe?
Yes, as long as you’re gambling at a legal site with an NJ gambling license. We only recommend legal sites that are publicly approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). Check out our safe gambling section for more details.
Do you have to live in NJ to gamble online?
No, you do not have to live in NJ to participate in online gambling. You do, however, need to be physically located in NJ to make real money bets. Learn more about NJ gambling laws through history by browsing our timeline from earlier.
What gambling sites are legal in New Jersey?
There are over 30 online gambling sites in NJ. Casinos and sportsbooks dominate the NJ online casino market, but there are some dedicated poker sites too. Further up, you can find our recommendations for the top NJ gambling sites.
