Public colleges and universities — plus their athletic departments and booster clubs — will be prohibited from making advertising deals with sports-betting companies under legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on July 8.
Assemblywoman Linda Carter, a Democrat from Plainfield, said the aim is to protect students from gambling addiction, which has grown among the nation’s young men following a wave of legalized online sports betting. A 2024 poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University found that 10% of young men in the U.S. show behavior that indicates a gambling problem, compared to just 3% of the general population.
“The proliferation of sports betting by college students is a troubling trend that can have a destructive impact on their lives,” said Senator Joe Cryan, a Democrat from Union. “Our college campuses should be places for learning, not underage gambling.”
New Jersey’s action is part of a national turn against online sports betting on campus. Public universities in Colorado, Louisiana and Michigan have canceled multimillion-dollar ad deals with companies including PointsBet and Caesars Entertainment Inc.
