New Jersey Lawmakers Move to Ban Micro-Bets Amid Integrity Concerns
New Jersey state lawmakers are planning to prohibit micro-bets, the smallest and fastest form of sports wagers, citing serious concerns over game integrity and problem gambling. State Senator Paul D. Moriarty (D-4) recently introduced bill S4794, which aims to ban licensed sports wagering operators from offering or accepting these types of wagers. The move comes as national scandals highlight the vulnerability of micro-markets to manipulation.
Defining and Penalizing Ultra-Fast Wagers
The proposed legislation takes a precise approach to define which wagers would be prohibited and outlines clear financial penalties for operators that violate the ban.
Micro-bets are defined in S4794 as live proposition bets placed during a game that concern the outcome of the next play or action in an ongoing sporting event.
Examples of the micro-bets that the bill seeks to outlaw include:
- Whether the next pitch in baseball will be a strike or a ball.
- Whether the next offensive play in football will be a run or a pass.
- Which team will score on the next possession in basketball.
Senator Moriarty’s bill does not prohibit all prop bets. Wagers covering outcomes across an entire event, such as a player’s total points scored in a full basketball game or whether a football player will score a touchdown, would remain legal.
The S4794 bill seeks to deter operators through significant financial penalties. Any licensed operator found offering or accepting micro-bets would commit a disorderly persons offense and face a fine ranging from $500 to $1,000 for each violation. Critically, every single micro-bet offered or accepted would count as a separate offense.
Justification: Integrity and Responsible Gambling
Lawmakers are justifying the ban based on dual concerns: the potential for match-fixing and the increased risk of excessive gambling.
Moriarty asserts that micro-bets are “easier to set up” than traditional, full-game wagers. Because these bets focus on a single, isolated action, they are considered “particularly tempting” to athletes who may be struggling with problem gambling. Recent investigations into professional athletes manipulating their own performances for prop betting purposes were a catalyst for the legislation.
This initiative follows a major NBA betting and poker scandal where league members allegedly shared confidential information to affect player prop outcomes. Following that national event, high-profile figures like NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred publicly questioned the suitability of micro-bets in modern sports wagering.
The bill also addresses the issue of irresponsible gambling. The rapid nature of micro-betting allows players to place a significantly higher volume of wagers in a shorter period of time. This fast pace limits a player’s ability to think critically about their actions, which lawmakers believe leads to “excessive and irresponsible gambling.”
The bill, which was introduced by Senator Moriarty, has been assigned to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee for review.
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