Place Your Bets! Supreme Court Rules for New Jersey to Legalize Sports Gambling

After 2,380 days, New Jersey finally came out victorious after a long, drawn-out battle on the issue of sports gambling. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of the Garden State, ending the federal ban on sports gambling that has lasted since the ban was enabled in 1992. This ruling can change the collegiate and professional sporting landscape as we know it.

The ban formerly in place, known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), barred state-authorized gambling on single sporting events in every state except Nevada. That law was challenged by then-Governor Chris Christie, who argued the sports gambling ban defied the state’s Tenth Amendment rights. The goal of Christie, and now current New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, was to provide new sources of revenue for ailing regions of the state.

According to the Supreme Court’s opinion: “Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own. Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution. PASPA is not.”

The court’s 6-3 decision has created a pathway for New Jersey and other states to allow for sports betting and gambling on a massive scale. Aside from New Jersey planning on being the first state to take action, Delaware, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are expected to act on the court’s decision quickly.

What’s Next?

While this decision seems shocking to many, New Jersey has been preparing for legalized sports gambling since 2012. Many locations are ready to act now. Monmouth Park, a thoroughbred horse racing track in Oceanport, is prepared to open betting windows in the next two weeks (pending Gov. Murphy’s approval). That’s not all. Casino operators across the state have been awaiting this decision for months. In fact, many places have a strategy ready to go.

More information will be forthcoming in the days and weeks ahead, but we do know collegiate and professional sports will have to adapt to the ruling. The NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL were on the opposite end of the spectrum, having lost today’s ruling. While it’s viewed as a loss, many sports business experts see today’s decision as a potential boom in business overall and expect the sporting world to transition without much of any negative connotations. In fact, the MLB and NFL have been wavering on their original stance for a while now.

For 26 years, Nevada has been the only state to allow a full assortment of sports gambling options. With the ruling, New Jersey expects to obliterate the record $4.8 billion that was wagered at the Nevada sportsbooks in 2017 due to their much larger population.

Stay Tuned

The book still has to be written on how these new sports gambling laws will ultimately affect the Garden State. While it’s easy to predict things now, no one knows with complete certainty what will happen. The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone will have more updates in the near future as news breaks.

If you have the need for winning legal representation in New Jersey, contact our law offices today. We are one call or click away.

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