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New Jersey loses NCAA championships due to sports betting law

The NCAA has pulled five championship events from the state of New Jersey and barred future ones from being planned in the state due to newly legalized sports betting, preventing any NCAA Tournament games from being held in the state.

Chris Trotman - Getty Images

The NCAA has pulled five planned NCAA championship events scheduled to be held in the state of New Jersey, including games in the Final Four round of the women's basketball tournament, due to adjustments to the state's gambling laws.

New Jersey announced it would begin sports betting licenses allowing for gambling on sports at Atlantic City casinos and various racetracks in January, and the NCAA stipulates that states that issue such licenses allowing for betting on single games will not be allowed to host NCAA championship events. As such, it announced Monday night that the five events scheduled to be held in the state this upcoming season will be moved and that no further events would be planned as long as the sports gambling regulations are in place.

The state had been slated to host one of four regionals in the women's NCAA tournament at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, but that will be moved to a site to be announced. New Jersey had also hosted games in the men's NCAA Tournament at the Izod Center in East Rutherford and most recently holding the East Regional of the bracket in 2011 at the Prudential Center in Newark, but it appears those sites will be out of the NCAA rotation.

In addition to the women's basketball games, four other championships - the Division I men's and women's diving regionals, Division III men's volleyball championship, and Division II and III women's lacrosse championships - will be pulled from the state.