Since New Jersey won a Supreme Court case that allowed sports betting to become legal, the state has enjoyed one of the most thriving sports betting industries. As the first state, New Jersey surpassed 1 billion dollars in sports betting in September 2021 and the market shows no signs of slowing down.

If you are living in New Jersey or will be paying the state a visit, then you might be curious about what options you have if you want to bet on sport, and how you make the most of them.  

Betting in-person or via online sites

In New Jersey you can either place a bet in person at specific sports betting sites throughout the state, or you can download and use online sports betting apps on your laptop, smartphone or tablet. The latter has become the preferred option for many as it’s much more convenient and often comes with great perks like welcome offers and ongoing promotions. Before you get started, find out how betting in New Jersey works so you know how to read the odds and make the best decisions. 

Watch games in person

When you ask most sports gamblers why they bet, it’s rarely the money that comes first. The joy of sport takes first place and sports betting is often seen as a way of enhancing the experience. Let’s say you love basketball and follow NBA games on a regular basis, then you get much more out of it by watching a game in person, especially if you have placed bets. It makes it more thrilling and exciting. Besides, you get to speak with other fans and assess the players’ skills first-hand. 

Be a part of a sports community 

It’s more fun sharing your interest with other people, especially when it’s to do with sport. That’s why you get much more out of sports betting in New Jersey by teaming up with others. Get talking about it, share strategies and tactics and be part of the journey together. If your friends are all on board, it is a fun activity for your next weekend getaway as you can combine it with watching sport. Not bad.

Approach it like a professional

Sports betting is about luck, but it is mostly about skill. To be good at it, you need to be able to predict outcomes and results, and that often requires research and in-depth knowledge of the sport you are betting on. If baseball is your thing, then find out how the players are ranking. Who is best and are there any newcomers that will change things up? It’s all about research, getting to know the jargon and following the latest odds. 

Remember to have fun

You must never lose sight of why you are betting on sports: Because it’s fun. Don’t let the dream of winning money overshadow the enjoyment you get from watching the sport. Having fun makes sports betting a more pleasurable experience – and you have better chances of winning too as you are less likely to make rushed and ill-informed decisions.  

Honus Wagner is not just the man on the most elusive and most valuable baseball card in history; he is also the best player in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

Playing his first three years with the Louisville Colonels, Wagner was dealt to Pittsburgh as part of the firesale that saw the end of the Colonel's existence.  Wagner would play for 17 years in Pittsburgh, and the case can be made that he was the top man in the first decade of the 1900s.

Wagner won the National League Batting Title in 1900, and he set the tone for the decade, leading the NL in Batting Average seven more times, which is a record that he still holds today.  “The Flying Dutchman” did everything, and history is even kinder with a look through sabermetric eyes.   Wagner led the NL in bWAR 11 times, and from 1900 to 1912, he never finished lower than third.  

The 1900s were in the heart of the deadball era, but Wagner was a top slugger in the decade, leading the NL in Slugging Percentage six times and OPS eight times in his career.  Wagner was also an excellent baserunner, leading the NL in Stolen Bases five times, and is tenth all-time in that stat (723).  Defensively, Wagner was incredible and would have been a multi-time Gold Glove winner had that award existed.  

Wagner was also a champion, leading the Pirates to a World Series win in 1909, the first in franchise history.  He played until 1917, and is the all-time team leader in bWAR (120.1), Runs Scored (1,521), and Triples (232).

Wagner entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 as part of the first-ever class, and the Pirates retired his number 55 in 1956

Philadelphia is not only the birthplace of the United States but also the birthplace and childhood neighborhood for many great sportspeople. With four major sports teams in the city, the city of brotherly love has been called an underachiever with just two major championships in the last twenty years. Still the city has had much to offer with many great athletes and hall of famers growing up in Philadelphia. Let’s have a look at some of the legends.

Wilt Chamberlain

This Philadelphian is one the greatest athletes from Philadelphia and one of the best to play the game of Basketball. The 7-feet 1-inch-tall player was known for his long-standing rivalry with Bill Russell and still holds numerous NBA records. 

To this date he is still the only player to have scored 100 points in a single game. He is the only player in history to average more than 30 points and 20 rebounds per game and is second only to Michael Jordan in point per game average. He was a major part of the 1967 championship winning roster that took home the second NBA title to the city of Philadelphia and has earned him legendary status in the city. 

Joe Frazier 

Frazier was not born in Philadelphia but packed up his bags in 1959 at the age of 15 to travel to Philadelphia. The boxer soon became a big name in the amateur ranks and won three Golden Gloves championships in a row from 1962 through 1964 before taking home an Olympic gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Games. 

Smokin’ Joe would go on to become a heavyweight world champion in 1970 and go up against Muhammad Ali in 1971 in what has been billed as the fight of the Century. The fight saw Frazier hand Muhammad Ali the first defeat of his career and create a legend about the hard hitter from South Carolina.

Kobe Bryant

A life that ended up with a tragedy was started in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, where his father Joe Bryant played for Philadelphia 76ers. Growing up in Italy and Philadelphia Bryant grew his own talent and decided to skip college and enter the 1996 draft as a high school player. 

The Black Mamba was picked 13^th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and would go on to be one of the most legendary players in franchise history. With him on the team the franchise won 5 NBA championships in 21 seasons with him being elected to 18 all-star games, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

This year his former team the Lakers are one of the favorites for the NBA title with Lebron James leading the franchise. With many games still left this season you can find plenty of games to bet on. Read all about betting here.  

Mike Powell 

This track and field athlete still holds the world record for the longest long jump ever. His record of 8.95 meter has stood since 1991 and it does not look like it is going to be beaten any time soon. Unfortunately for Powell there was another amazing American long jumper at the time called Carl Lewis who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals right in front of him. At the World Championships in 1991 in Tokyo Mike Powell finally got the better of him to take home his first major championship medal. 

Greg Vaughn was one of the known sluggers of the 1990s, blasting 355 Home Runs over his career, 79 of which were as a San Diego Padre, the second team he played for.

In his contract year (1996), Vaughn was traded to the Padres from Milwaukee, and he resigned with the Padres as a Free Agent.  Vaughn missed many Games in 1997, but in 1998, he had his best power year, with 50 Home Runs, 119 RBIs, and a .272 Batting Average.  The Padres went to the World Series, with Vaughn as their feared slugger, but the Yankees proved too much For San Diego.

Vaughn was traded to the Reds in the off-season, and as a Padre, he had 78 Home Runs with 263 Hits.