New Jersey Senate Committee Advances Bill to Ban Micro Bets on Sports
A New Jersey Senate committee has advanced SB 2160, which would ban micro bets on the next play or pitch in a game
New Jersey is moving toward one of the first direct restrictions on micro betting in the United States. The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee voted on March 23 to advance Senate Bill 2160.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Paul Moriarty and Patrick Diegnan. It would prohibit New Jersey sportsbooks from offering or accepting bets on the outcome of the very next play or action in a game. In the past year, New Jersey has reported some high-revenue months, but regulation continues in all facets of wagering.
The bill now moves to the Senate floor for a second reading.
What Micro Bets Are
New Jersey SB 2160 defines micro bets through specific examples. A wager that the next pitch in a baseball game will be a strike. A wager that the next football play will be a run or a pass. These bets resolve in seconds. New wagers can be placed immediately after each resolution.
The structure is what separates micro betting from traditional in-game wagering. Standard live betting allows wagers on game-level outcomes as play unfolds. Micro betting operates at the individual play level, compressing the betting cycle into moments rather than minutes.
The Integrity and Addiction Argument
Sponsors cited two concerns. The first is integrity. Sen. Moriarty said micro bets can be more easily manipulated than full-game wagers because a single insider with advance knowledge of the next play can act on that information before anyone else. That creates a structural disadvantage for the average bettor.
The second concern is addiction. Moriarty described the structure as creating a vicious cycle of excessive, impulsive, and financially irresponsible gambling. Sen. Diegnan added that the continuous opportunity to bet during a game makes micro bets significantly more dangerous than traditional wagering. The speed of resolution and the volume of opportunities available per game, he said, accelerates the path to financial harm.
Violations under SB 2160 would be treated as a disorderly persons offense. Fines would range from $500 to $1,000 per violation.
In-Game Betting’s Growing Share of the Market
Micro betting exists within the broader category of in-game wagering, which has become central to the economics of sports betting operators. New Jersey does not publish separate data for micro bets.
However, Rutgers University research conducted for New Jersey regulators in 2020, 2021, and 2023 consistently shows that in-game betting represents a substantial share of total activity.
The most recent study found that two-thirds of New Jersey bettors place in-game wagers. High-intensity bettors account for more than 50% of all in-game bet volume. The research also found that in-game betting increases the likelihood of overspending.
At the operator level, the numbers are striking. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said during a Q1 2025 earnings call that live betting accounted for more than half of the company’s total handle. In mature European markets, in-game bets represent over 60% of all wagers placed.
A Broader Regulatory Trend
New Jersey is joining a small but growing group of states scrutinizing high-frequency bet types. New York has introduced similar legislation targeting player prop bets and live betting. Across the country, lawmakers have increasingly restricted college athlete prop bets on integrity grounds.
The scrutiny has also reached the league level. In November, Major League Baseball reached agreements with betting partners to cap pitch-level wagers at $200 and exclude them from parlays.
MLB specifically cited the heightened integrity risk posed by micro bets, noting that a single player can manipulate an individual pitch outcome. The league said the new measures cover 98% of the betting market.
If SB 2160 passes, New Jersey would become one of the first states to directly prohibit micro betting as a distinct product category. That would set a meaningful precedent for how other regulated markets approach the fastest-growing segment of in-game wagering.
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