Voters Once Again Will Weigh in on New Jersey Gambling – The SandPaper

Gambling is on the ballot again in New Jersey this fall. Voters will decide the fate of two constitutional amendments aka public questions or referendums when they enter the voting booth on Nov. 2.

The first concerns betting on collegiate sports.

Do you approve amending the Constitution, Question One asks, to permit wagering through casinos and current and former racetracks on all college sport or athletic events?

Currently, wagering is prohibited on college sport or athletic events that take place in New Jersey. Wagering is also prohibited on an event in which a team from a New Jersey college participates.

For example, if you wanted to place a legal bet in New Jersey when the Rutgers football team visits Illinois on Oct. 30, you would not currently be allowed to do so. Ditto, if the NCAA football college championship game were to be played in the Meadowlands Sports Complex; New Jersey bettors would be frozen out of the action. If the question passes, that would no longer be the case.

The second would allow organizations to conduct games of chance such as bingo or raffles to help fill their coffers.

Do you approve amending the Constitution to permit all groups that are allowed to conduct bingo or raffles to use the net proceeds from those games to support their groups?

Currently, only veterans and senior citizen groups may use the net proceeds from those games to support their groups. All other groups that are permitted to conduct bingo or raffles may only use the proceeds from those games for certain purposes. They are not permitted to use those proceeds to support their groups. The amendment would allow the other groups that conduct bingo or raffles to use the proceeds to support their groups as well.

Those other groups include charitable, educational, religious, fraternal and civic organizations along with volunteer fire companies and first aid and rescue squads. Currently they are allowed to run certain games of chance, but can use the proceeds only for educational (think scholarships), charitable (such as supporting a sick member of the community), patriotic (something like 4thof July fireworks or parades), religious or public-spirited purposes.

It is quite possible voters will reject Question One, the one allowing betting on the states college teams, this fall.A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released on July 8 showed voters opposed the measure by a 2-to-1 margin. Only a quarter of the 803 registered voters polled supported the measure. Meanwhile, 49% said betting on New Jersey teams should continue to be banned while 23% werent sure.

Many voters still arent sure where they stand on the matter, said Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at FDU and the executive director of the poll. But supporters are going to need to change a lot of minds if they want to get this passed.R.M.

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Voters Once Again Will Weigh in on New Jersey Gambling - The SandPaper