New Jersey to continue fight for sports betting

New Jersey governor Chris Christie is on record as saying he is prepared to fight his state’s case to be allowed to offer sports betting all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary, and that appears to be the state government’s intention following its defeat Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia .

New Jersey hopes have to some extent been raised by the fact that the three-judge appeal hearing resulted in one of the judges, Thomas Vanaskie, noting his dissenting vote on grounds that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, itself violates federalist principals, the Reuters news agency reports.

“For the first time, a judge has ruled in our favor,” said State Senator Raymond Lesniak. “That gives us hope that others … will allow New Jersey to enjoy the economic benefits of sports betting that are now reserved exclusively for Nevada.”

Lesniak added that the state would appeal either to the full appellate court or the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case has now moved through its second court hearing, with the state losing on both occasions.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie signed a law overwhelmingly passed by the New Jersey Legislator into the state books last year that authorized sports betting at the state’s racetracks and at Atlantic City casinos.

But the national sports leagues launched litigation against the new law, which would disrupt the restrictive federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, and a federal judge struck down the law in March this year.

The state appealed but on Tuesday two of the appeal court judges ruled that the New Jersey law violates the federal statue.