Sports betting ban challenged by New Jersey

New Jersey Sen. Raymond Lesniak has filed a lawsuit, which if successful will remove the decade-long ban on sports betting nationwide. Seeking new sources for the state coffers, the NJ Senator is challenging the federal ban on sports betting, that allowed only four states in the country to offer some for of betting on sporting events while banning the rest of the United States from offering sports betting. And the base for the lawsuit filed against the federal government claims discrimination against the rest of the USA states though the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which allowed only Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana to offer sports betting within their borders. Mew Jersey also had a window to allow sports betting, but legislative debacles failed to take advantage of the option before the window closed.

Now facing a deteriorating casino industry and ever increasing budget needs, New Jersey, backed by sports betting and gambling industry members, had filed the lawsuit to rebut the sports betting law and let each state decide if they want to offer any form of sports betting. According to some estimates, sports betting could bring up to $100 million yearly to the state from taxes, while helping the casinos in Atlantic City regain some of the gambling traffic lost in the last few years. Gambling experts also claim that the revenue nationwide from legalized sports betting could reach as high as $10 billion.

Published on 03/24/2009