What a roller-coaster ride sports bettors in New Jersey have been on lately. First the governor goes all out promoting legalized sports wagering at the states’ casinos and race tracks. Then the New Jersey legislature passes a bill that would allow wagering in the state… and then Governor Chris Christie vetoes the bill. Go figure.
Now Governor Christie has done another complete turnaround… again. A directive was issued last week allowing New Jersey’s casinos and racetracks to take wagers on sporting events without fear of getting busted for doing so.
Christe said that he took the radical step after reviewing previous federal court decisions which found that there was nothing in the New Jersey statutes that prohibits the state’s casinos and horse racing tracks from taking wagers on sporting events.
Christe and his backers say that they expect the edict to be challenged in court at some point in the near future by the various sports leagues, both professional and collegiate. The leagues have been fighting the legalization of wagering on sporting events in New Jersey for years now and aren’t expected to give up without a fight.
Presently there are only four states in the USA where wagering of sports is legal and there is a considerable effort being put forth to keep it that way. However, the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case involving the state of New Jersey.
Christe’s office issued a statement about the new rules, “Based on the arguments of the sports leagues and the United States Department of Justice, the 3rd Circuit has already ruled that New Jersey can carry out sports wagering as described in today’s statewide directive. The motion simply would clarify and formalize that authority and give clear guidance to casinos and racetracks waiting to open a sports pool in New Jersey.”
So now the governor and his fellow backers of sports wagering in the state will have to sit back and wait for the reaction from the leagues. The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB all made special efforts in the past to block legalized sports wagering in the state of New Jersey claiming that it would give the appearance that the integrity of the games had been compromised… and they are not expected to give up so easily… quite yet.
The Governor’s latest announcement legalizing wagering in Jersey took effect immediately and casinos and racetracks around the state began taking advantage of the newfound leniency right away. Let’s hope it lasts!
