New Jersey bound for U.S. Supreme Court

Having lost all three judicial rounds so far in its attempt to implement its intrastate sports betting legislation in defiance of the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act , the state of New Jersey is now about to attempt to take the issue before the US Supreme Court, reports the publication NJ.com.

It’s the last throw of the dice, says Gov. Chris Christie, who said this week that if the attempt fails he will have to close the book on the issue.

Observers have pointed out that getting a case heard by the Supreme Court is no easy task; about 10,000 petitions are filed with the Supreme Court each year, but only a small percentage are accepted and heard.

However, the New Jersey issue involves interesting and complex constitutional matters including states’ rights, and that may persuade the court to hear argument in the case.

“I do believe that the Supreme Court does give us the best chance for [sportsbetting] because they have been going in a direction of recognizing states’ rights over recognizing federal mandates,” says state senator Ray Lesniak, himself a lawyer, who helped push through legalised Web poker and casino games.

The Supreme Court appeal has to be submitted by mid-February, and state officials are believed to be finalising the application.