Supreme Court will hear N.J. appeal to allow sports betting
The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Tuesday that it will hear an appeal by the state of New Jersey in its bid to legalize sports betting within its borders.
The decision will allow New Jersey to argue that its attempts to allow betting on sports does not violate a federal law that sought to stop the spread of legal sports gambling. New Jersey’s executive branch and its legislature have devised multiple strategies to allow sports betting over the past several years, but lower courts have struck down the plans, ruling in favor of a coalition of professional and amateur sports leagues that had objected.
Legalized sports wagering in New Jersey has been supported by Monmouth Park, which is operated by the state’s horsemen under a lease from the state. The plans allowing for sports betting have tabbed Monmouth Park as one of the sites where sports wagers could be placed, along with Atlantic City’s struggling casinos.
The court will hear the appeal during its fall session. Briefs are scheduled to be filed in August.
Single-game wagering is generally prohibited under a federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which was passed in 1992. The legislation included several exceptions, including an allowance for sports betting in Nevada and three other states that had already authorized limited wagering on sports contests.