New Jersey Lawmakers Once Again Evaluating Micro Bet Ban

• A bill banning micro bets in the Garden State advanced out of committee
• The legislature carried the bill over from the 2025 session
• Micro bets are defined as a prop bet which is wagered live that concerns the outcome of the next play or action

New Jersey lawmakers are again considering a piece of legislation that will prohibit micro bets for online sports bettors in the Garden State.

Assemblyman Dan Hutchinson’s (D-4) bill, A5971, carried over from the 2025 session, will prohibit licensed New Jersey sports betting operators from offering or accepting micro bets in the state. Micro bets are defined in the bill as prop bets which are wagered live during a sport or athletic event and concerns the outcome of the next play or action occurring in the event.

The Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee unanimously forwarded the bill to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Too Many Wagers in Too Short a Time

Hutchinson’s legislation notes operators offering or accepting micro bets will be found guilty of a disorderly persons offense and shall be fined between $500 and $1,000 per offense. Each micro bet offered or accepted will constitute a separate offense.

“Micro betting has become an increasingly popular practice whereby bettors can wager on each play in a sporting event. Examples of micro bets include whether the next pitch in a baseball game will be a strike or whether the next play in a football game will be a pass or run. The pace at which sporting events are played, and therefore the pace at which micro bets can be placed, limits the ability of bettors to research and consider their wagers before placing them and enables bettors to place a higher volume of wagers in a shorter amount of time, contributing to excessive and irresponsible gambling,” Hutchinson wrote in a bill statement.

An approved amendment to the bill will allow in-person New Jersey sportsbooks to still offer and accept micro bets from customers.

The Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee unanimously voted 6-0 to move the bill out of their committee to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill has yet to be scheduled for a hearing in the new committee.

An identical Senate bill, S2160, currently resides in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Stalled Out in 2025

Hutchinson’s bill stalled out in the 2025 session, never received a vote in the Assembly Tourism, Gaming, and the Arts committee. The committee did hold a public hearing on the bill, which featured heavy support from problem gaming advocates.

“This is a very, very serious problem. I see it day in and day out,” Hutchinson said during the December 2025 public hearing. “The Philadelphia media market has become the most heavily advertised media market in the nation for sportsbooks, with companies spending more than $37 million on ads between January and September. It feels impossible to escape. As I watched the Eagles play yesterday, I was shocked to find that gambling ads were baked into the programming itself. What these companies want is for you to bet as frequently, physically, and financially as possible.”

Jean Swain, a problem gambling prevention specialist who appeared on behalf of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, commended the bill. She reminded the committee that the council is neither for or against the gambling industry, but is in favor of the legislation to prohibit micro betting.

The proposed legislation recognizes a “critical and timely issue,” as micro betting can increase the risks associated with gambling.

“These high frequency wagers from every player action can trigger instant dopamine releases in the brain’s reward system, fostering compulsive behaviors that can develop into serious addiction. The evidence underscores that micro betting can accelerate the path to problem gambling, especially among vulnerable populations such as youth and others at risk,” she said.