One of the biggest innovations of the online gambling era is the development of in-play micro betting. Players love the idea of betting on the outcome and details of every single play and operators really love the additional revenue stream. But if a New Jersey lawmaker has his way, micro betting will be a thing of the past.
Late last week Representative Dan Hutchison introduced Bill A5971 which, if passed into law, would ban the practice entirely.
The language of A5971 makes a clear distinction between micro bets, which are placed on the outcome of the next play, and prop bets, which are similar but generally require the entire game to be played before the bet is settled.
In Hutchinson’s view, micro betting limits a player’s ability to research a wager and, consequently, leads them down the road to problem gambling. “The pace of micro betting is designed to keep people gambling constantly, making one impulsive bet after another with little time to think. This bill is a commonsense step to slow that cycle down and protect individuals from the financial and emotional harms that can come with excessive betting,” he said in a recent press release.
The text of the bill suggests that micro betting not only encourages problem gambling, but that it also encourage corruption among players. “As a result, micro bets may be especially enticing to athletes who are already struggling with problem gambling. There have been several reported cases of professional athletes being investigated for altering their performance to meet the terms of wagers on a micro bet,” he added.
New Jersey has long been a leader in the regulated gaming space and other states’ gaming commissions will certainly be watching A5971’s progress.