On Monday morning a battle of lawyers is expected in front of the highest court in the United States of America, with the future of sports betting at stake.
The issue is whether or not New Jersey went around federal law by essentially permitting sports betting at its racetracks and casinos.
The decision of the Supreme Court could make sports betting legal in the State and at the same time allow other states to decide by themselves whether they want to legalize sports betting or keep a ban on it. More importantly, the decision could impact the future of federal government-state relations.
About 65 percent of New Jersey voters approved in 2011 a resolution to allow sports betting in the Garden State. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the act into law three years later, but the problem is that since then the effort has been tied up in court.
If the state comes out on the winning side gamblers in New Jersey could start taking bets within two weeks of the Supreme Court’s decision.
The 1992 Pro and Amateur Sports Protection Act effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide, excluding a few states.
New Jersey argues that that federal law is against the constitution. They argue that the federal government is essentially trying to dictate what they do, in violation of the constitution.
For 30 minutes each side will have a chance to argue their case in a courtroom in front of the justices. After hearing both sides, the justices can ask questions, which could give those attending the hearings a sense of which side they may be leaning in this case.
Over a dozen states are siding with New Jersey, while the NCAA, NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball are arguing that striking down the law would undermine the integrity of sports.
In terms of the timing, the Supreme Court’s decision is most likely to be expected sometime between early next year and the end of June.
