Have you seen enough sports betting ads?

Jan 16, 2025

Good Thursday morning!

This newsletter is brought to you by SportsMoneyDrain, your best bet for getting rid of your hard-earned money.

Just kidding. But you could be forgiven for believing that. Because since New Jersey led the charge to legalize sports betting — enacting it here after overturning the federal ban, allowing it to proliferate in much of the country — the ads are everywhere.

Assemblymember Brian Bergen is sick of seeing them. The Republican from Morris County just introduced a bill that would bar online advertising for sports betting, and he plans to propose one to ban it on television as well.

Bergen isn’t the first lawmaker to propose restricting sports betting advertising or to decry its prevalence. State Sen. Joe Cryan has proposed restrictions, but they’re more narrowly tailored.

“You can’t watch a sports game without seeing 10 of these things during the game. Kids are watching the sports, people they idolize, and seeing these ads about gambling. It’s creating what I think is a bad future for our kids,” said Bergen. “I couldn’t care less if there was never an ad for this again.”

Casino Association of New Jersey spokesperson Emily D'Alberto said in a statement that it had to review the bill but “the idea of eliminating all online advertising for any product in New Jersey that is primarily purchased online does not seem to be an appropriate way to address any specific concern.”

The gambling industry probably doesn’t have to worry about this. If they can bet back attempts by powerful lawmakers to ban smoking in Trenton, Bergen — who’s loathed by a lot of Democrats — is probably unlikely to see this pass.

I’ve always found it fascinating how New Jersey politicians have jumped at the opportunity after opportunity to expand gambling in New Jersey, unanimously passing legislation to enact it. Many of those same lawmakers take a much more cautious approach when it comes to legalizing or softening penalties for drug use. The Legislature couldn’t even manage to pass weed legalization without kicking it to voters first. Then, after voters overwhelmingly said to legalize it, passing the bill was still a struggle. But now that both have been legal for a while, I think there’s a lot of evidence that one has been particularly harmful, and it’s not weed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Randy Minniear, Matt Arco, Allison Murphy, Paul Penna

WHERE’S MURPHY?. No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Trying to illegally influence a government official in New Jersey doesn’t pay.” – Attorney General Matt Platkin on the guilty plea of Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission employee Omid Bayati for trying to bribe Passaic Mayor Hector Lora, who reported him. My take: Sometimes it does, unfortunately.

PERSONAL NOTE: I mentioned a death in the family yesterday. I just wanted t he obituary to go online before I said who it was. My mother-in-law, Pat Helck, died after a long illness. Pat, who was raised in Newark and Irvington, was a deeply generous person who welcomed me into her family. The first time I entered her house, on New Year’s Day 2004, I sat down on a kitchen chair that crumbled under me. I tumbled onto the floor. Pat and the rest of the family laughed. I repressed the urge to sue all of them and stuck around. She’d bury me with so many presents on Christmas that I was practically still opening them by the time the next Christmas came around. She raised a big, non-traditional family. She cooked the best meatballs I’ve ever had. And she treated me as a son. I miss her.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

WHAT TRENTON MADE

DREAMERS — NJ leads effort before Trump inauguration to protect health care access for DACA recipients, by POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez and Lisa Kashinsky: With less than a week to go until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Democrats are ramping up their resistance to the incoming administration by focusing on health care access for undocumented immigrants. Democratic New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is leading an effort with other states to safeguard access to government health insurance for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program — immigrants who came to the country as children but do not qualify for such insurance because they lack legal status. … It comes as Democratic attorneys general are preparing to return to the front lines of the resistance to Trump’s agenda. … Wednesday’s announced motion to defend a Biden administration health care rule is among the first legal salvos launched by a Democratic attorney general in anticipation of Trump’s second presidency. “We know that President-elect Trump plans to undo protections and health care for our Dreamers, and states like New Jersey are ready to fight back,” Platkin said in a statement. “Dreamers are a critical part of the New Jersey community, and America is the only country they know.”

SLAYNJ — “Phil Murphy has a year left. What will it hold? Here are some clues,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “The governor touted the $14 billion in property tax relief that was sent to schools and municipalities under his watch and singled out the ANCHOR rebate that began distributing checks two years ago. But noticeably absent was any mention of StayNJ, the work-in-progress rebate plan pushed by Assembly Speaker Craig Couhglin, D-Middlesex, that seeks to cut property taxes up to 50% for senior homeowners. Murphy has been wary of the program’s cost and its potential to upend his legacy of credit rating improvements, cutting debt and restoring funding for the public employee pension system. His silence augurs an internal Democratic Party power struggle in the budget negotiations to come this spring.”

OLD MACDONALD HAD A FRAUD — “Morris retiree saluted by Gov. Murphy for exposing 'fake farmers' in NJ. Is reform next?” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: "Jack Curtis has been to Trenton before during his multiyear mission to expose thousands of 'fake farmers' who claim big tax breaks on their properties with little or no genuine farming involved. On Tuesday, the Mendham Township man was back in the state capital as a guest of honor, finally seeing his long campaign gaining traction. Curtis was invited by Gov. Phil Murphy to sit in the Statehouse gallery during the Democrat's 2025 State of the State address. He received a shout-out and a round of applause as Murphy endorsed bipartisan legislation to reform the farmland assessment program, whose abuses were detailed in a NorthJersey.com investigation last summer. … ‘I thought I was just there as a guest that would just be in a position to listen to the speech,’ Curtis, 78, a former Dover alderman and Roxbury school principal, said in an interview after the address. ‘I didn't have any idea he was going to speak about me.’ Curtis has spent much of his retirement researching what he sees as abuses of New Jersey's Farmland Assessment Act of 1964. The law was crafted to help farms that were being squeezed out of business as demand for suburban housing drove up land values — and the taxes that went with them.”

IN THE WATCHDOG HOUSE — “Help wanted: Executive director to lead New Jersey watchdog agency,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis and Michael L. Diamond: “Wanted: Executive director to lead New Jersey’s independent watchdog agency. Law license required, must have experience investigating corruption, white collar and Internet crime, organized crime and gang activities Will pay handsomely. In the aftermath of the sudden resignation of its top executive last week, the New Jersey State Commission has launched a formal search for a new leader. And unlike its last search for someone to oversee the day-to-day operations, this time the commission publicly posted the job listing. The search comes as the agency, which is charged with rooting out government corruption, waste, fraud and abuse, faces criticism from lawmakers and veterans of the agency over the process that led to the internal promotion of Tiffany Williams Brewer, the commission’s chair, who had been serving in an interim role.”

HUDSON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC DISORGANIZATION — Bhalla declares candidacy for Assembly, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who lost a run for Congress last year, is now seeking an Assembly seat. The two-term mayor announced Friday that he will not seek reelection in Hoboken this year. He announced Wednesday that he will run for Assembly in the 32nd District Democratic primary instead. Bhalla’s former chief of staff, freshman Assemblymember John Allen, is expected to retire but has not said so formally. “As a two-term mayor, I believe Trenton needs more mayors who get things done. In the State Assembly, I will fight to ensure that New Jersey leads the way on curbing both traffic fatalities and climate change, and address the housing crisis that is squeezing so many residents in Jersey City, Hoboken and throughout the state," Bhalla said in a statement.

—Report: Up to $6.7 million in one-time costs to split DMAVA

—Snowflack: “The elephant in Murphy’s 2025 room”

—“A digital license on your phone? Gov. wants it for N.J. drivers”

—“Democrats will elect new senator, assemblymember on Thursday”

—“Governor’s plan to boost housing by ‘cutting red tape’ could meet GOP opposition”

—“N.J. schools should ban cellphones in class, gov says. These districts are already locking them up”

—“Spadea raises $1.1 million for gubernatorial run”

—“After losing her son in Afghanistan and husband to cancer, this Cherry Hill woman turned to politics. Next week she joins the N.J. Assembly”

—“Gottheimer endorsed by mayor from Sherrill’s district”

—“Towns challenging new affordable housing law detail latest strategy, eyeing Jan. 23 hearing”

BIDEN TIME

WRONG TRACK — “Trump’s pick for transportation secretary no friend to NJ commuters?” by NJ Spotlight News’ Benjamin J. Hulac: “With the confirmation process for his nominees underway, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation has a record of voting against passenger rail funding during his time in Congress, including one massive project dear to New Jersey. In September 2017, for instance, former Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican from Wisconsin, voted to strip $900 million in federal funding allocated to the Gateway Program, the $16-billion public works project underway to add two new tunnels beneath the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York City. The House voted down that amendment. … Duffy voted in 2015 to eliminate all of Amtrak’s funding that Congress had authorized. All New Jersey House members but former Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th) voted no on that item. He voted in 2017 to cut $1.1 billion in funding from Amtrak, a ‘move that would have killed passenger train service in this country as we know it,’ as the Rail Passenger Association, a high-speed rail advocacy group, described the vote. In a list of 14 votes on passenger rail that the group compiled, Duffy voted against each measure.”

IS GATEWAY SAFE — Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Transportation, did not appear hostile to the Gateway project during his confirmation hearing. During an exchange with Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Duffy suggested projects that are already underway would be safe from interference.

“I imagine that those good projects that are underway, we would continue,” Duffy said.

Duffy also suggested he would have a different view of Amtrak funding that he did when he was a House member representing a district in Wisconsin that did not have train service. “It’s more than just Northern Wisconsin right now, if I’m confirmed,” he told Kim. — Ry Rivard

—“Trump pick for Secretary of Transportation lives in New Jersey”

—“Will Edan Alexander be released? NJ hostage's fate is still uncertain after Gaza ceasefire”

—“Bergen County rabbi will speak at Trump's inauguration. Who is Ari Berman?”

LOCAL

THE SILENCE BY THE LAMB — “First, Toms River changed council meeting time. Now it limits how long people can talk,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jean Mikle: “New limits on public comment at Toms River's council meetings have some residents crying foul. ‘All I heard were restrictions on the people,’ said township resident Paul Williams. ‘I heard no restrictions and no consequences, for example, for the mayor yelling out constantly, calling people sell-out, etc. It seems very evident that the restrictions overly burden the people.’ Among the changes adopted by the council are a 30-minute maximum public comment period during the second reading of an ordinance, and a 60-minute maximum comment period during general discussion at the end of the business portion of the council meetings. Speakers have a three-minute time limit to make statements or question the council. While members of the public can request that items be removed from the council's ‘consent agenda,’ for a separate vote, no public comment will be allowed on those items before the council votes on them. … Council President Justin D. Lamb said the new rules are needed to keep sometimes chaotic meetings under control.”

CHRIST HOSPITAL TO BE RENAMED ‘CHRIST, THAT HOSPITAL’ — “CarePoint bankruptcy statement ‘inaccurate, misleading,’ NJ DOH says; debt at least $300 million,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “The Hudson County hospital chain that has filed for bankruptcy protection under a staggering debt has run afoul of the state Department of Health again. CarePoint Health was both “inaccurate and misleading” in how it described financial aid provided by the state in a lengthy bankruptcy disclosure document, the DOH said in a response filed with the court Wednesday that sheds new light on how long the hospital chain has been struggling. So inaccurate was CarePoint Health in the 119-page filing ― it called the state funding ‘woefully inadequate’ ― that the state is asking the court to force CarePoint to amend the disclosure. … In its response, the DOH said CarePoint failed to tell the court the DOH: repeatedly advanced charity care payments to CarePoint to assist with payroll shortfalls; sent payments to CarePoint exceeding $9 million quarterly even though CarePoint failed to pay a $5 million quarterly fee required under the state’s County Option Hospital Fee Program; provided CarePoint with more than $10.6 in emergency loans.”

—McGreevey: “Op-Ed: Jersey City’s Christ Hospital must ‘get its act together’ immediately”

— “He spent 35 years as a [Bloomfield] school janitor, barely earning minimum wage. He just won a $150K settlement”

—“'I shouldn't have to hide myself': Ocean County officer speaks on sex assault, $177M award”

—“Help us reopen our library, [Bound Brook] mayor says after county shuts down branch”

—“Paterson internal affairs will move away from police headquarters to be more welcoming”

—“[Middle Township] teacher sexually assaulted a student who lived in her home, authorities say”

EVERYTHING ELSE

BLUNT RESPONSIBLE FOR UFO SIGHTINGS — “Steven Spielberg’s new UFO movie with Emily Blunt is filming in N.J., casting locals. See the details,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amy Kuperinsky: “Ready to have a close encounter of the Steven Spielberg kind? The acclaimed director is filming his upcoming UFO movie in New Jersey. The film, starring Oscar nominee Emily Blunt (”Oppenheimer”), is in need of Jersey people for background actors. … The filming will take place in March — not long off from Jersey’s brush with drone and/or plane-related, supposedly ‘unidentified’ flying objects at the end of 2024.”

LESS TRAFFIC GIVES WEALTHY COMMUTERS MORE TIME TO SPEND CRAFTING WORLD’S TINIEST VIOLIN — “1st week of congestion pricing made commuting to NYC faster, the MTA says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “With the first week of New York’s Congestion Pricing toll in the books, commuters are reaping a reward, spending less time in traffic in exchange for their $9 toll to enter lower Manhattan, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The findings of the MTA report, released Tuesday, concluded drivers using the Manhattan-bound Hudson and East River crossings saw the greatest improvements in travel times, particularly in morning commute times when the peak-period toll is in effect. In the first five weekdays of the program, traffic entering Manhattan’s Central Business District was down about 8% from the MTA’s January estimated weekday baseline. Travel times were 30 to 40% shorter on inbound river crossings, the report said. An independent, academic congestion pricing traffic tracker backed up the MTA’s finding.”

—“I was blacklisted by N.J. healthcare network after I resigned, doctor says in lawsuit”

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