Date set for U.S. Supreme Court hearing on a more liberalised sports betting environment

New Jersey’s long-awaited day in the US Supreme Court has been set for December 4 this year, when the nation’s top judges will consider arguments for and against the wider liberalisation of US sports betting beyond the restrictions of the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

It is an issue that New Jersey has argued (so far unsuccessfully) through a series of lower courts over the last few years, opposed by the Department of Justice and major US sports leagues anxious to preserve an environment in which only four US states are permitted to offer some form of sports wagering.

In recent months the American Gaming Association has campaigned vigorously for the liberalisation of the multi-billion dollar sports betting industry, where at present the profits are being harvested by illegal operators instead of US licensed, regulated and tax paying companies.

New Jersey has submitted that PASPA is unconstitutional, in that it forces states to keep laws on the books, even if they move to change them.

Whilst the hearing will take place early in December, it is unlikely that a decision will be handed down until the new year.

The process will be closely monitored by both operators and lawmakers in states where a positive outcome could create prosperous new tax revenue streams from a more open and legal sports betting market.

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