The basics:

• NJ bills would ban online microbetting
• Advocates say fast-paced wagers can fuel compulsive gambling
• 78% of microbettors reportedly meet criteria for problem gambling
• New Jersey could become 1st state to ban online microbetting

New Jersey lawmakers and gambling addiction advocates are pushing to make the Garden State the first in the nation to ban online microbetting. The proponents argue the fast-paced wagers encourage compulsive gambling and pose growing public health risks.

The effort centers on Senate Bill 2160 and companion measure Assembly Bill 3258. The legislation would prohibit online wagers on the next play or action in a sporting event. For example, whether the next baseball pitch will be a ball or strike or whether the next play in a football will gain more than six yards. Advocates say those wagers, which can be placed and resolved within seconds, create a gambling experience more akin to slot machines than traditional sports betting.

The legislation was highlighted during a July 21 policy briefing at the New Jersey State House hosted by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. The group also released a report titled “Why New Jersey Must Ban Online Microbetting.”

The study argues that while traditional proposition bets are not inherently problematic, the rapid, repetitive structure of microbetting shortens the feedback loop between wagering and reward. Advocates say that increases the risk of addiction.

Not betting on the winner

“We’ve decided to tackle microbetting because I think it is something that promotes compulsive behavior,” said Sen. Paul Moriarty, D-4th District, a prime sponsor of the Senate bill. “I don’t think it’s actually betting at all. The people that are betting on the next pitch in a baseball game or the next possession in a basketball game aren’t necessarily concerned with who wins the game.”

Assemblyman Cody Miller, D-4th District, said lawmakers did not anticipate how quickly the product would evolve after the Garden State became one of the first states to legalize online sports betting.

“I know that New Jersey was one of the first states that dealt with actually establishing online sports betting,” said Miller, a prime sponsor of the Assembly measure. “I don’t think that any of us ever imagined that microbetting would become this habitual problem that is literally leading people to financial ruin, and we have to do something about it. And doing something about it means that we can be the first state in the nation to address microbetting.”

Assemblyman Dan Hutchison, D-4th District, is also a prime bill sponsor. He added, “My desire is to see this compulsive disorder of microbetting stop in its tracks today before it gets a hold of a lot of people. Because right now it’s still a smaller issue, but it’s going to gain momentum. We need to stop it now.”

‘We must do something now’

Among the report’s most notable findings is research showing that 78% of people who engage in microbetting meet the criteria for problem gambling. Studies have found microbettors experience significantly higher rates of financial hardship, relationship problems and mental health issues than bettors who do not place in-game wagers.

Research cited in the report also found in-play bettors are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, impulse-control problems, substance abuse and other psychological vulnerabilities.

Brianne Doura-Schawohl, director of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said the findings illustrate why lawmakers should act. “We must do better. We must do something now.”

Getting people hooked

Harry Levant is director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute. He said the design of microbetting itself reflects many of the clinical criteria used to diagnose gambling disorder.

“When you look at the nine criteria for the diagnosis of gambling disorder, gambling addiction, much of the criteria are found in the very nature of microbetting itself … this is a product designed in a way that is defective. It is designed to get people hooked and keep them hooked.”

The report also examines the broader impacts and social costs of gambling addiction. It cites research that found New Jersey’s problem gambling rate (5.7%) is nearly three times the national average. In the state, nearly 570,000 residents cope with problem gambling. According to estimates, approximately 3.4 million state residents are affected indirectly through family members and loved ones. It links problem gambling to increased risks of suicide, domestic violence, child maltreatment, food insecurity and other mental health challenges.

Advocates expressed particular concern about younger gamblers.

The report notes that young adults are disproportionately drawn to microbetting. Studies cited also found gambling disorder diagnoses have increased 60% in states that legalized sports betting. The report also highlights growing exposure to gambling advertising among adolescents and research suggesting underage gambling is becoming increasingly common.

Changing the game

Isaac Rose-Berman is a gambling research and policy fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men. He argued that microbetting changes the nature of sports wagering.

“Sports betting can be an entertainment product; it can bring people joy, can connect them with their favorite teams. Microbetting does none of that. It severs the tie between the person and the team, or even the player, and simply makes sports into a slot machine.”

Sports betting can be an entertainment product; it can bring people joy, can connect them with their favorite teams. Micro betting does none of that.
– Isaac Rose-Berman, gambling research and policy fellow, American Institute for Boys and Men

Rob Minnick, founder of ODAAT Gambling Awareness and a recovering gambling addict, echoed that concern.

“I think microbetting, in its essence, is trying to make sports betting into a faster-paced slot machine. And there’s no skill, there’s no knowledge … It doesn’t matter how much you know about sports for you to determine if the pitcher is going to throw a ball or a strike the next play.”

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling also argues that concerns about lost tax revenue are overstated. According to the report, microbetting currently represents only a small percentage of overall sports betting revenue. Meanwhile, the group argues that the social costs of gambling addiction – including treatment, financial distress and other public expenses – far outweigh the tax benefits generated by the product.

If approved, the legislation would make New Jersey the first state in the country to prohibit online microbetting while continuing to allow traditional forms of sports betting.