ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – New Jersey gambling regulators have authorized betting on XFL football games, becoming the sixth state to authorize wagers on the revived league.
The state Division of Gaming Enforcement added the XFL to its list of approved events for sports betting on Jan. 15.
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The league's games will now be wagered on in the two largest states for sports betting — Nevada and New Jersey. Gamblers in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Rhode Island and Iowa also will be able to bet on the XFL, according to the league. Approvals from additional states could come soon.
“Legal sports betting is an important way for fans to engage with our game in New Jersey and other communities across the country,” said Jeffrey Pollack, the XFL's president and chief operating officer. "With the kickoff to our season less than three weeks away, we’re excited to get going.”
The XFL's rules differ from the NFL's in several ways, including the option to seek 1, 2 or 3 points from the 2, 5 or 10-yard line after scoring a touchdown. The XFL will also allow a team to throw two forward passes on the same play as long as both happen behind the line of scrimmage.
After a one-and-done season in 2001, the league owned by World Wrestling Entertainment president Vince McMahon will try again starting Feb. 8.
The eight-team league will have its championship game in April. It has franchises in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington.
No one expects the XFL to generate the amount of bets that the NFL does. A more likely comparison might be last year's ill-fated Alliance of American Football (AAF), which folded before completing its inaugural season.
Betting on those games was likened by several sports books to the level of some mid-to-lower tier college games.
Numerous sports books expect to offer action on the league once state regulators approve, but are modest in their expectations of the money it will generate.
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