New York Business Journal – New Jersey’s plan to legalize sports betting suffered a blow when a federal court ruled that the state’s law conflicts with federal law and, therefore, cannot move forward.
According to a report by the Associated Press, a panel at the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals backed an earlier ruling that the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act precludes New Jersey from legalizing sports gambling, since that law only allows that activity in Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware.
The National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association had sued to stop implementation of New Jersey’s sports betting law. The leagues argued that legal sports gambling in New Jersey would cause them injury, though the state pointed out that such legal gambling in Nevada has not hurt them.
The Star-Ledger added that the state intends to appeal to the United States Supreme Court, but at this point, it’s unlikely there will be a resolution to the case before one of the biggest sports events of the year, the Super Bowl, is held in New Jersey this February. However, the Star-Ledger also cited New Jersey state Senator Raymond Lesniak pointing out that the court’s ruling appears to open the door to legal sports gambling in the state so long as it is unregulated; that is, New Jersey could repeal its laws that ban betting on sports and then allow the industry to regulate itself.
