These are the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Sports betting in New Jersey is overseen by two bodies. Who governs sports betting in New Jersey? This follows a long series of legal challenges against the PAPSA rules which had previously stopped the Garden State from deciding on its own sports betting laws. It has been available in retail sportsbooks since June 2018, and players have been able to bet on sports online since August 2018. Sports betting is completely legal in New Jersey. Read up on all the legal sports betting states.Their successful series of legal challenges that PASPA was unconstitutional cleared the way for states outside of the four grandfathered in to decide if they wanted to legalize sports betting. New Jersey was fundamental in allowing states to decide their own sports betting laws after successfully challenginspg the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) in the Supreme Court. The first retail sportsbooks opened in June 2018, with legal online sports betting coming just two months later in August 2018. New Jersey has been a trailblazer for allowing states to open up their own gambling markets, especially for both online and retail-based sports betting.