US piles on against NJ sports betting proposal

What is everyone afraid of?

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice filed notice Tuesday that it is joining a lawsuit by sports leagues and the NCAA to stop the state from allowing sports gambling, setting the stage for a fight next month over the constitutionality of a 21-year-old federal statute. </SPAN></SPAN>
Tuesday’s filing was expected after a federal judge last month declined New Jersey’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, Major League Baseball and the NCAA. </SPAN></SPAN>
The state had argued that the leagues and the NCAA, college sports’ governing body, couldn’t prove they would be harmed if it allowed sports gambling since all enjoy unprecedented success despite the existence of legal wagering in Nevada and more widespread illegal sports gambling. </SPAN></SPAN>
Now, the focus will turn to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 statute that prohibited sports gambling in all but four states: Nevada, where bettors can gamble on games individually; and Oregon, Montana and Delaware, which were allowed to offer multi-game parlay betting. </SPAN></SPAN>
Attorneys for New Jersey claim the law usurps the authority of state legislatures and treats the states unequally by grandfathering in some states where sports betting already was allowed. </SPAN></SPAN>
The leagues’ attorneys have termed the constitutional challenge “specious” and have argued that the Constitution’s commerce clause doesn’t require uniformity in its application to different states. They referred in one court filing to Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s signing of a sports betting bill last year as “a blatant violation of federal law.” </SPAN></SPAN>
In Tuesday’s filing, lawyers for the Department of Justice asked U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp to give them until the end of next week to file responses to the state’s constitutional challenges. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Feb. 14 in Trenton. </SPAN></SPAN>
The leagues and the NCAA sued last summer after Christie signed a law that would allow sports wagering at Atlantic City casinos and the state’s horse racing tracks. Games involving New Jersey colleges or college games played in New Jersey would be exempted. </SPAN></SPAN>
Two months after the lawsuit was filed, the NCAA announced that several championship events scheduled to be held in New Jersey this year would be moved out of the state. </SPAN></SPAN>

if / when nj wins this case, it would open up sports gambling to be legalized all over

Akillies said:

if / when nj wins this case, it would open up sports gambling to be legalized all over

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I really hope NJ wins its case and I would love to see sports gambling in NJ, but do you really want to lay -120 or pay on your winning tickets? It would not even be close to the same system in Las Vegas.....no matter where you open, nothing will be close to the Las Vegas model....

VIEJO DINOSAUR said:

I really hope NJ wins its case and I would love to see sports gambling in NJ, but do you really want to lay -120 or pay on your winning tickets? It would not even be close to the same system in Las Vegas.....no matter where you open, nothing will be close to the Las Vegas model....

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that would suck, but i dont plan on going to nj in any case. just rooting for legalization. once nj gets it, everybody rushes to follow

I still think this is more of a case of Las Vegas money and influence doing whatever is necessary to keep sports betting out of NJ. I would say a minimum of 25% of Las Vegas visitors for the Super Bowl would not travel there for Super Bowl weekend if there was legal sports betting in Atlantic City. You could say that if someone wants to bet the game they don't have to travel to LV by betting offshore or on the street. Most of the visitors want to make their bets and collect the same day. You can't do that offshore and even on the street you have to wait and meet up with your man. How about March Madness, that is another chunk of visitors they would lose. I understand the theory that if NJ gets it all states with casinos will want it but I still feel that Las Vegas is the biggest supporter of the sports betting monopoly. With the Super Bowl at Metlife/Meadowlands next January you know the heat is coming down. The NFL would never have awarded NY the game if wagering was in place at Atlantic City. It is just too close for comfort. Even though AC doesn't have enough hotels rooms for all the bettors that would come there if wagering was available their business would be huge next Feb. The handle would be through the roof. If only AC could have gotten the statewide vote years ago before it would have taken an act of congress to allow wagering. They had the chance but it was voted down.

the corp's that own lv casino's are set up to offer sports wagering everywhere as soon as its legal, so if anything they are promoting this

I told ya when they 1st started talking about the bill this is what they wanted it for. To test the Feds. They have been saying for years its the Republicans and Christians opposing this now the Govt has to step up and say how they stand. And obviously the DOJ is saying we want kept/made illegal. So now it is official and on record....The present administration is AGAINST gambling.

Are the gringos in offshore rooting for/against NJ? What happens to offshore if NJ wins and other states join in. Do they pack their bags or will offhshores stay business as usual with better lines.

Akillies said:

that would suck, but i dont plan on going to nj in any case. just rooting for legalization. once nj gets it, everybody rushes to follow

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I would have to disagree with that. Yes there would be a few states that rush to follow , but the majority of the states would not be intereted in sports gambling legislation and even if it was proposed most legislators would vote against it.

...Of course it might also depend on how much revenue N.J. would generate , and that's what nobody really knows.

Vegas wasn't built on sports books , it was built on casino's.

i was reading on another forum the other day --
that there was a chat session with gov christie of NJ..
and when the gambling question was posed to him -- he basically shot it down by saying
that he doesnt know how this will help the AC brick and mortar casinos.

i think it will help his casinos....i would travel to jersey before i would go to vegas....cheaper and shorter flights for me....also, it is driveable for me...

Now you understand why it is taking so long for NJ to get the federal money for Sandy

Akillies said:

the corp's that own lv casino's are set up to offer sports wagering everywhere as soon as its legal, so if anything they are promoting this

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That may be the case but initially having sports betting in NJ takes money out of the Las Vegas casinos pockets.