By COVERS.COM STAFF

The New Jersey state Senate Economic Growth Committee will hold a public hearing at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Monday to discuss a bill that would call for legalized sports wagering in the state, newjerseynewsroom.com reported Wednesday.

Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union) and Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) are sponsoring the bill, SCR-49, which seeks voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment that would legalize sports betting at New Jersey's casinos and horse tracks.

"Legal sports wagering could be a tool to help in Atlantic City's economic revival," Lesniak said Wednesday. "Unfortunately, the federal ban on sports wagering in all but a handful of states stands as a blockade from New Jersey determining its own economic destiny.”

The bill encompasses professional and amateur sports and would allow bettors to place wagers onsite, online or through the telephone. Collegiate games that took place in the state could not be wagered on as well as New Jersey-based schools playing anywhere.

If you are in New Jersey and you want your sports bettor’s voice heard, please attend the meeting. The hearing will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Room 411 of the Atlantic City Convention Center.