Analysis: Impact of NJ's Approval of Skill-Based Gambling

With the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) in NJ approving wagers on physical skill-based games last week, the world of gambling is facing changes, and hopefully for the better.

Contest Approval from the DGE

Although some forms of gambling do require an element of skill in understanding and mentally calculating the odds as circumstances change, luck still outweighs skill. However, that will change briefly in March of this year, with the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is scheduled to host a $10,000 basketball free throw contest in Atlantic City.

To organise the contest, the Borgata had to seek advance approval from New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). The intention of the contest is to help launch new games as part of a special programme dubbed New Jersey First.

Unprecedented Approval for Gambling 

Eric Weiss, a director with the DGE, has confirmed that the event will “purely be a physical dexterity contest.” And it appears that the DGE will have to consider skill-based contests, as other New Jersey casinos are eager to replicate the publicity success of the Borgata.

The decision by the DGE comes in the wake of NBA commissioner Adam Silver calling for legalized sports betting in mid-November 2014, and following the opening of the US online gaming market in late 2013. The debate over what is considered skill-based games and games of chance continues, with it being illegal to bet on the latter in the US.

Impact on Sports Betting

Will the Borgata basketball contest introduce a new type of betting? We think so, and as long as other casinos can get approval, they are likely to follow suit. Borgata seeks to be the trend setter, and that they have done. While we aren't sure if this will have a big impact on online casinos, it could open up a new realm of online betting events. It will be interesting to see where the DGE decision leads, and the effect it will have on gambling wagers in other US states.