New Jersey to have Rehearing in Case Over Sports Betting

Hope of having legalized sports betting in New Jersey remained alive after an appeals court granted the state a rehearing in its battle against the professional sports leagues in the U.S. as well as the NCAA.

The state must win this rehearing then hope the country’s Supreme Court does not hear another appeal. A gaming attorney released the news via a tweet Wednesday.

Chris Christie the Governor of New Jersey signed a measure in 2012 that allowed sports betting in the state. The leagues and the NCAA immediately sued to stop the legislation, arguing that betting could affect the game’s integrity.

Since then they have won nearly every battle in court during the subsequent fight for the past three years.

The whole time, the state has played the role of an underdog, but on Wednesday, the line was moved in the states’ favor.

Two months ago, a rehearing request had been denied by the court on a vote of 2-1, so the state requested a hearing known as “en banc,” which requires all the active judges to hear this case and vote.

The rehearing was granted by the court meaning a number of judges had doubt about the case of the plaintiffs. It is expected that oral arguments was start within the next couple of months.

Raymond Lesniak a Senator in the New Jersey state legislature, who sponsored the legislation, believed that sports betting would be in place over the next several months.

Sports betting is illegal in the majority of U.S. states due to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 1992 or PASPA.

New Jersey wants to inject both money and life into its dying horse tracks and casinos and its state congress argues that the best way of monitoring as well as preventing any illegal activity related to wagering is make it legal then regulate it.