Christie Considers Taking New Jersey Sportsbetting to Supreme Court

It seems that there are no other options on the table for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, other than to take the question of sports betting to the US Supreme Court.Last Friday, a federal appeals court told the governor that he would not be allowed to offer sports betting in New Jersey casinos, in response to a petition put to the legal system by professional sports leagues groups to stop the local government introducing legal sports wagering in the Garden state.

Christie agreed to make sports betting legal in 2012, thinking that passing a local law would remove the chains of the 1992 federal sportsbetting ban, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA).  However, it seemed he underestimated the determination of groups such as the NCAA who have vowed to do everything in their legal power to halt Christie’s plans.

The Governor has twice been turned down by New Jersey courts, first by the US District Court and, most recently, by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.  Only a single judge from the last hearing gave the opinion that he believed that PAPSA was unconstitutional and that New Jersey had a right to decide for itself.

A spokesperson for the governor said this week: “Gov. Christie has said all along this issue should be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, and that’s what he hopes will happen next. He has asked the attorneys representing the state to file the necessary paperwork. The people of New Jersey voted overwhelmingly to bring sports betting to New Jersey, and the Governor agrees with his constituents and will not give up this fight.”

The majority of New Jersey’s residents agree that sports betting should  be allowed, based on the results of a 2011 ballot.

At present, only four states allow sports betting – all of which offered this option before PAPSA was passed – namely Delaware, Oregon, Nevada and Montana.  Other states had a year to opt out of PAPSA, including New Jersey.