New Jersey Bill Proposes Sports Betting Surcharge During World Cup
Jesse M. Cox Published 08/05/2026
Costs associated with this summer's FIFA World Cup are eye-opening, to say the least. Whether it's tickets to the matches, concessions inside stadiums, or transportation to the venues, the financial stipend people are being asked to cough up to participate in soccer's greatest event is exorbitant. Hosting costs are equally expensive to state governments.
That being the case, New Jersey lawmakers are proposing a unique method to offset those costs. Senate Bill 4111 (SB 4111) would impose a 10% temporary surcharge on all sports betting revenue generated by New Jersey sportsbooks through wagers on the World Cup.
This sports betting tax would help defray New Jersey's World Cup hosting costs
Bringing forth SB 4111 was are Democratic Rep. Michael Venezia and Democratic Sen. Paul Sarlo. They made it clear that SB 4111 would only be a temporary surcharge. Intentions are that all revenue collection from the temporary surcharge will be supporting the costs of preparations for hosting of FIFA World Cup matches taking place in New Jersey. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host eight matches. That's including the tournament final on July 19, 2026.
"The bill imposes a temporary surcharge in an amount equal to 10 percent of the sums received from online sports wagering on 2026 FIFA World Cup Tournament events, net of patron winnings," the bill reads. Paying this 10% surcharge will be any Atlantic City casino, all joint sports wagering operations, and any horse racing permit holder, either jointly established with a casino or established independently with non-casino partners.
The monies generated from the surcharge imposed on casinos and joint sports wagering operations are required to be paid to the Casino Revenue Fund. Monies generated from the surcharge imposed on horse racing permit holders are required to be paid to the State General Fund. Administering the surcharge would be New Jersey's Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
It would apply to any match or series of matches, or any portion thereof, among the 48 teams qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament. The surcharge is also going to be applied to prop bets on the individual performance statistics of athletes in a match or a combination of matches.
New Jersey sportsbooks already are paying a hefty tax rate
Sports bettors in New Jersey aren't going to be facing a direct impact from this proposed surcharge. Application won't be taking place on a per-bet basis.
It is the gambling sites that will be paying the price. New Jersey's online sports betting sites aren't going to sit idly by and accept another tax hike on their product. Even if it is a temporary proposal.
New Jersey sports betting sites are already paying a 19.75% tas rate.
It seems unlikely that SB 4111 will pass
There's no doubt that the FIFA World Cup is going to be very taxing for the New Jersey state coffers. The state is anticipating a $300 million bill for the opportunity to play host to World Cup matches.
Yes, they need to find ways to generate revenue to pay that bill. Hoping for this 10% sports betting tax surcharge to be one of them would be a mistake.
New Jersey already places a steep tax rate on sports betting. On top of that factor, there's also the reality that the World Cup starts next month. That's very little time to push through what will be a controversial bill.
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