New Jersey has taken a groundbreaking step to shield its college students from the pervasive influence of sports betting promotions on academic grounds.
New Jersey has taken a groundbreaking step to shield its college students from the pervasive influence of sports betting promotions on academic grounds. Governor Phil Murphy on July 8, 2025, signed into law legislation that explicitly prohibits public colleges and universities across the state from entering into contractual partnerships with sports betting companies. This decisive action sets a new precedent in the US, marking a pivotal moment in the national effort to safeguard student-athletes from gambling-related harassment.
The newly enacted law, Senate Bill 2155 (S-2155), was championed by Senators Joe Cryan and John McKeon. Its core aim is to curtail the extensive reach of gambling promotions within academic environments. Under its strict provisions, institutions of higher education, including their athletic departments and affiliated booster clubs, are now expressly forbidden from engaging in agreements with sports betting operators that would permit any form of advertising or promotional activity on campus. This sweeping prohibition covers placements in stadiums, arenas, and extends to all school-sponsored digital and broadcast media.
The legislative initiative directly responds to escalating concerns regarding the impact of gambling advertising on young adults, particularly amidst the widespread expansion of legal sports wagering across the nation. Senator Cryan highlighted the alarming surge in campus-focused gambling promotions as a key catalyst behind a rise in student betting behavior. He emphasized that aggressive marketing by betting companies has created a complex dilemma for educational institutions, which are inherently tasked with safeguarding student welfare while simultaneously navigating potential financial incentives from commercial partnerships.
Senator McKeon further stressed that the law’s fundamental objective is to significantly reduce students’ exposure to betting-related messaging in environments that should be exclusively focused on academic and athletic development. By strategically restricting marketing within college-owned spaces and media channels, the legislation directly intends to alleviate the considerable pressures on students who may be particularly vulnerable to gambling-related harm. Legislators underscore that young individuals are notably susceptible to compulsive gambling tendencies and can find it exceptionally difficult to break such habits once they become ingrained. They maintain that college campuses must remain sanctuaries for learning and healthy activities, free from inducements that could plunge students into debt or cause corrosive psychological and emotional distress.
The passage of S-2155 represents the latest evolution in New Jersey’s continuous efforts to delineate clear boundaries between higher education and the gaming industry. This legislative move builds directly upon the state’s foundational regulatory framework established during the legalization of sports wagering in 2018. At that time, lawmakers had already included a specific provision prohibiting bets on in-state college teams or collegiate events held within the state. Despite multiple subsequent attempts to amend that clause and expand wagering to cover local college sports, those efforts consistently failed, with voters notably rejecting a 2021 ballot measure that would have lifted the in-state college betting ban.
Beyond this campus advertising prohibition, further regulatory tightening has been under active consideration in New Jersey concerning college sports betting practices. Most recently, a separate bill, S-3080, aimed at eliminating “player-specific proposition bets” on college sports nationally, successfully passed the Senate’s Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee with unanimous support (5-0) on June 19. These types of wagers, which allow gamblers to bet on individual player performances such as points scored or assists made, have drawn sharp criticism for potentially increasing the risk of match-fixing or imposing undue pressure on student-athletes. However, no additional votes on that specific proposal have been recorded since the committee’s decision.
New Jersey’s decisive enactment of S-2155 aligns it with a rapidly growing national movement among US states and even a federal initiative that seeks to curb certain betting practices within the college sports arena. Several other states have already implemented similar restrictions or outright bans on player-specific prop bets involving college athletics. Ohio, for example, was among the first to act, with its Casino Control Commission approving a rule change banning such bets in March of last year. Maryland followed suit around the same time with a similar prohibition, citing the imperative to protect student welfare and uphold ethical standards for amateur athletics. Both Louisiana and Vermont also enacted comparable restrictions in 2024 through directives issued to their licensed sportsbooks.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has adopted an increasingly proactive and vocal role in this national debate. The NCAA has consistently urged states to implement stronger protections for student-athletes, specifically calling attention to the critical distinction between betting on team outcomes versus individual performances. NCAA President Charlie Baker has notably stated that “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.” The NCAA has even launched a “Don’t Be A Loser” campaign to actively discourage abusive behavior by bettors towards athletes. Public examples of online abuse include former North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot reportedly receiving direct messages from disgruntled bettors, and former Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne reportedly receiving Venmo requests for financial retribution. While some operators contend that prop bets drive user engagement and offer diversified revenue streams, critics consistently counter that the risks associated with student safety and fair competition far outweigh any perceived commercial benefits. The overarching challenge for regulators continues to be how to effectively balance innovation in sports wagering with pragmatic safeguards that limit harm.
New Jersey’s legislative action, building on its pioneering role in legalizing sports betting after the 2018 Supreme Court decision overturning PASPA, frequently serves as a model for other states. The passage of S-2155 could potentially accelerate a national trend towards similar restrictions on college sports betting partnerships and advertising, fundamentally reshaping the commercial landscape for gambling operators in academic environments across the United States.
