<P> Freehold Raceway is the oldest racetrack in the United States, with horse racing having taken place there informally since the 1830s . The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed on December 17, 1853, and in 1854 they began holding an annual fair with harness racing at Freehold Raceway Monmouth Park Racetrack opened in 1870 . In 1894, the New Jersey Legislature banned parimutuel gambling, and in 1897 the voters of New Jersey approved a referendum which amended the state constitution to ban all gambling (or possibly all commercial gambling). </P> <P> From 1894 to 1939, all gambling was theoretically outlawed in New Jersey, but enforcement was spotty, and it is not clear whether social gambling was prohibited . Bookmaking, numbers games, and slot machines were common through the state, many churches and other non-profit organizations openly held bingos, and Freehold Raceway operated without interruption . Racetrack gambling was re-legalized in 1939 . In 1953, voters approved a referendum to officially allow non-profit organizations to have bingo and raffles . In 1959, amusement games were re-legalized after a 1957 court decision had declared them to be a form of illegal gambling . In 1970, 81.5% of New Jersey voted in favor of a referendum creating the New Jersey Lottery, and in 1975, New Jersey initiated the Pick - It (later renamed the Pick - 3), the first legal lottery game in the United States where buyers could pick their own numbers . </P> <P> In 1974, New Jersey voters voted against legalizing casino gambling statewide, but two years later approved a new referendum which legalized casinos, but restricted them to Atlantic City . At that time, Nevada was the only state with legal casino gambling . Resorts Atlantic City was the first casino to open in 1978 . As part of the state's budget showdown in 2006, gambling in Atlantic City's casinos and at racetracks in the state were forced to close after it was determined that the official monitors from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission were essential and New Jersey law stated that gambling establishments could not legally operate without state oversight . The closures cost the state an estimated $1.3 million in casino revenues in addition to the loss of state taxes collected on casino employee wages . </P> <P> In January 2012, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed legislation allowing sports betting in New Jersey after it was approved by a 2 - to - 1 margin in a voter referendum held in November 2011 . The law permits any of the state's 12 casinos and 4 racetracks to offer gambling on professional and college sports, but prohibits them from accepting bets on college events played in New Jersey, or out - of - state games involving New Jersey college teams . The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement subsequently issued regulations for sports betting . </P>

When did gambling became legal in atlantic city
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