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New Jersey to allow esport competitors to bet on themselves

21 February 2025

What could possibly go wrong?

New Jersey Assembly Bill No. 2172 has passed out of committee and now will be voted on by the entire Assembly. A companion bill is being considered in the State Senate. If either bill passes both houses and is signed by Governor Phil Murphy, betting on esports will be greatly expanded.

Fine.

But this provision in the bill should be amended out: “The Division of Gaming Enforcement may authorize competitors in such events who are otherwise eligible to make sports wagers [meaning they are at least 18 years old] to make wagers on themselves or their own team with regard to an individual electronic sports contest.”

The bills’ authors undoubtedly thought that competitors would only bet on themselves and their teams winning. But that’s not what they wrote.

Here’s what happens in the real world if athletes can bet on themselves losing.

Jontay Porter, a.k.a. “NBA Player 1? in the latest indictments, allegedly sent texts like this to his illegal bookie co-conspirators, “Hit unders for the big numbers . . . no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.”

One of the co-conspirators bet $80,000 on a single-game parlay, including Porter underperforming. If the bet had not been frozen and an investigation started, Porter’s failure to stay in the game and play his best would have netted $1.1 million.

The NCAA has come out against college athletes being able to bet on themselves. That is obviously the right rule and should be written into every sports betting statutory and regulatory scheme.

One of my professional sports betting clients thought the self-dealing Porter problem could be solved if athletes were only able to bet on themselves outperforming expectations.

But I am sure that bookies and other smart bettors would figure out a way to still cheat. Perhaps the athlete would underperform for a few games, not enough to get benched, but enough to drive down his expectation stats. Then, when he was feeling particularly up, he would bet on a million-dollar parlay where he had to outperform his contrived low numbers.

The one thing we know about gambling is if there is a way to get an edge, legal or not, someone will figure it out.
New Jersey to allow esport competitors to bet on themselves is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.
I. Nelson Rose

Professor I. Nelson Rose is an internationally known scholar, public speaker and writer and is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on gambling law. A 1979 graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a tenured full Professor at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California, where he teaches one of the first law school classes on gaming law.

Professor Rose is the author of more than 300 books, articles, book chapters columns. He is best known for his internationally syndicated column, "Gambling and the Law ®," and his landmark 1986 book by the same name. His most recent book is a collection of columns and analysis, co-authored with Bob Loeb, on Blackjack and the Law.

A consultant to governments and industry, Professor Rose has testified as an expert witness in administrative, civil and criminal cases in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, and has acted as a consultant to major law firms, international corporations, licensed casinos, players, Indian tribes, and local, state and national governments, including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and the federal governments of Canada and the United States.

With the rising interest in gambling throughout the world, Professor Rose has spoken before such diverse groups as the F.B.I., National Conference of State Legislatures, Congress of State Lotteries of Europe, United States Conference of Mayors, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has presented scholarly papers on gambling in Nevada, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, England, Australia, Antigua, Portugal, Italy, Argentina and the Czech Republic.

He is the author of Internet Gaming Law (1st & 2nd editions), Blackjack and the Law and Gaming Law: Cases and Materials.

I. Nelson Rose Websites:

www.gamblingandthelaw.com

Books by I. Nelson Rose:

> More Books By I. Nelson Rose

I. Nelson Rose
Professor I. Nelson Rose is an internationally known scholar, public speaker and writer and is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on gambling law. A 1979 graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a tenured full Professor at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California, where he teaches one of the first law school classes on gaming law.

Professor Rose is the author of more than 300 books, articles, book chapters columns. He is best known for his internationally syndicated column, "Gambling and the Law ®," and his landmark 1986 book by the same name. His most recent book is a collection of columns and analysis, co-authored with Bob Loeb, on Blackjack and the Law.

A consultant to governments and industry, Professor Rose has testified as an expert witness in administrative, civil and criminal cases in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, and has acted as a consultant to major law firms, international corporations, licensed casinos, players, Indian tribes, and local, state and national governments, including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and the federal governments of Canada and the United States.

With the rising interest in gambling throughout the world, Professor Rose has spoken before such diverse groups as the F.B.I., National Conference of State Legislatures, Congress of State Lotteries of Europe, United States Conference of Mayors, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has presented scholarly papers on gambling in Nevada, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, England, Australia, Antigua, Portugal, Italy, Argentina and the Czech Republic.

He is the author of Internet Gaming Law (1st & 2nd editions), Blackjack and the Law and Gaming Law: Cases and Materials.

I. Nelson Rose Websites:

www.gamblingandthelaw.com

Books by I. Nelson Rose:

Compulsive Gambling and the Law

> More Books By I. Nelson Rose