New Jersey Governor Chris Christe has let it be known that he is not giving up on his quest to bring legalized sports gambling to the state. Although Christe and his team have lost practically every step of the way so far, the issue is still up in the air according to most experts and could still go either way.
New Jersey recently lost an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals but not by a unanimous decision. As a matter of fact, the dissenting judge wrote a rather strong opinion that seemed to leave the door open to Jersey to seek further litigation.
Next week the State of New Jersey will be presenting a petition for a rehearing in front of that same Third Circuit Court of Appeals in yet another effort to bring sports wagering to the state and bolster its sagging economy. The change in the law that New Jersey is seeking would allow Las Vegas styled sports wagering at race tracks and casinos throughout the state but mostly around Atlantic City.
The state was turned down back in May by this same court but proponents of the move in New Jersey point out the fact that there was one dissenting judge and that the ruling was closer than most folks expected it to be. These facts have encouraged Gov. Christe and his team to have another go at the Third Circuit Court.
All of these moves and counter moves are based on a 1992 bill called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act which was enacted into a national law prohibiting sports betting in all but four states Montana, Oregon, Delaware and, of course, Nevada.
The thing is, the PASPA of ’92 has never been reviewed by the Supreme Court so no definitive word has come down as to the legality of the Act. That’s the reason many see the case eventually ending up in front of the top court in the land.
A major backer of sports wagering in New Jersey, Senator Raymond Lesniak, recently told the press, “I’m not concerned with an appeal to the Supreme Court from a decision on our side because the sports leagues and the Department of Justice would not be able to get an injunction against it, since they could not prove irreparable injuring with sports betting already in Nevada and with the NFL playing games in England where they are betting on the games across the street from Wembley Stadium.”
