Judge to give decision on New Jersey sports betting in two weeks

The outcome of the court action by the national sports leagues and the Department of Justice attempting to scupper New Jersey‘s plans to offer intrastate sports betting will not be known until two weeks hence.

Federal Judge Michael Shipp, presiding over the court hearing in Trenton, New Jersey Thursday said he would issue a ruling in two weeks’ time after further reviewing documentary and oral evidence submitted by the legal representatives of the parties involved.

Lawyers for the U.S. argued during the hearing that the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act prevents New Jersey’s actions despite the state Legislature voting to allow intrastate sports betting, and the governor signing the measure into state law.

Legal representatives for New Jersey said the federal law violates the state’s rights and sovereignty by restricting sports betting to just four US states. They presented a case that the federal government has no right to regulate the “state’s ability to govern its citizens or the judgment of the government of the state of New Jersey.” The state claims that PASPA is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

The sports leagues claimed that gambling undermines the integrity of professional and college sports.

Sports organisations including the National Football League and Major League Baseball sued New Jersey’s government in August to block betting in the state. The National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and NCAA joined the complaint, followed more recently by the US Department of Justice.

The 1992 federal law bans sports betting in all but four states: Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.