Sports betting could look a little different in the Garden State under a new bill just introduced in the State House. If passed into law, “micro-bets” in sports games would be banned.

“People are constantly making bets, play after play after play, and there’s no let-up,” said Assemblyman Dan Hutchison (D-NJ 4^th District), the author of bill A5971.

Also known as in-game live betting, micro bets involve betting on the next immediate action in a game. It could be a bet on whether or not the next play will involve a score, or if the next pitch in a baseball game is a ball or strike. 

When not serving in the Assembly, Hutchison works as a bankruptcy attorney. “I will help people who have problems with their debts, and a lot of times people are choosing to place bets over making their mortgage payments,” said Hutchison. 

He says micro-betting can accelerate the path to problem gambling.

“This is a different type of gambling,” said Hutchison. 

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, which helps operate the 800-GAMBLER helpline, says this kind of betting can alter brain chemistry, producing dopamine hits in rapid-fire fashion.

“The Council has seen a nearly 300 percent increase in calls to our helpline since sports betting was legalized in 2018,” said Daniel Meara, Communications Specialist for the Council. “[Micro betting] is one of the most troubling manifestations of the new gambling environment.”

Some sports bettors in New Jersey, who did not wish to speak on camera, told us they don’t often place micro-bets, and instead place bets more on the long-term outcome of a game.

If passed into law, the bill would seek to establish penalties for sports wagering licensees who offer micro-bets. No word yet, though, on what those penalties could look like.