Court rules against NJ in sports gambling case

A ban on sports gambling at New Jersey’s casinos and racetracks will remain in place after a federal appeals court again rejected Governor Chris Christie’s bid to lift it.

At a Third Circuit hearing in March, attorney Michael Griffinger – speaking for state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto – noted that the panel observed in its previous ruling that New Jersey could repeal its sports betting laws “in whole or in part” as long as the state neither licenses nor authorizes such betting. The appeals court also rejected an attempt by New Jersey in 2013 to legalize gambling.

State Sen. Ray Lesniak said the judges got it wrong and predicted the case would be appealed shortly. New Jersey stood to gain about $10 billion if legal sports betting spread, according to Dennis Drazin, an adviser to two parties involved in New Jersey’s Monmouth Park Racetrack.

The appeals court judges who agreed with ban are Maryanne Trump Barry, the sister of Republican presidential candidate and Donald Trump, and Marjorie Rendell. A month later, the same district court judge issued a permanent injunction against the new law.

The state made a point to challenge the nation’s four major professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association on the grounds that they were operating with “unclean hands” due to their partnerships with daily fantasy leagues and full-service sports betting in Las Vegas.

The state is expected to appeal the ruling to the entire Third Circuit judiciary, but it failed in such an attempt previously even with the earlier 2-1 split verdict.

“There is simply no conceivable reading of PASPA that could preclude a state from restricting sports wagering”, Fuentes wrote in his dissent.

Gambling on games already is happening in New Jersey – illegally. The petition for an en banc hearing must be filed within 14 days.

Sports betting in Nevada has never been bigger, and New Jersey wants in.

“Today’s decision by the Third Circuit on sports betting and how gaming is regulated encourages deeper examination about the best path forward on this issue”.

No New Jersey casino began sports betting, though at least one was considering it after the state passed the law.

Later in 2011, Christie reversed his position on a sports betting referendum and announced that he would support one after previously saying it was pointless to try to topple a federal law. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.) and Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) – have introduced federal legislation that would pave the way for legal sports betting in the state.