Major pro sports leagues, NCAA ask federal judge to stop New Jersey sports betting

jensinc · Sep 29, 2014

The NCAA and all four major sports leagues on Monday asked a federal judge to stop New Jersey's sports betting plan in its tracks.

The leagues said the state’s quest to bring sports betting to casinos and racetracks despite a federal ban is a “blatant violation” of a prior court order.

Earlier this month Gov. Chris Christie's office said that as far as state law is concerned, New Jersey casinos and racetracks are free to take sports bets.

The statement came as the state's top attorney told police and prosecutors in a formal directive that sports betting in New Jersey casinos and racetracks is generally legal under state law. People involved in the practice should not be arrested or prosecuted, acting state Attorney General John Hoffman said.

That announcement came after years of grinding court battles between the state -- which hopes sports betting will revive flagging gambling halls -- and the nation's major sports leagues, which say the practice violates a federal ban and taints honest competition by stoking suspicion among fans that bets are affecting games.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act effectively bans sports betting outside Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon, which received exemptions to maintain sports betting operations in place before Congress enacted the law in 1992.

This story is developing. Check back for details.

Reuben Kramer

dirtymoose · Sep 29, 2014

The NCAA and accusing others of "blatant violations", thanks for that laugh. I really can't stand the NCAA, I wish the kids would organize and boot them the fuck out.

jensinc · Sep 29, 2014

David Payne Purdum @DavidPurdum · 1h1 hour ago

NJ @SenatorLesniak says he will introduce new sports betting legislation 0Tuesday that will address sports leagues' arguments filed today.

Senator Ray Lesniak‏@SenatorLesniak

briefs are in, need my legislation Christie vetoed, this time he'll sign it. Sports betting at Monmouth Racetrack by end of Oct

jensinc · Sep 29, 2014

Griffin Finan ‏@G_Finan 6m6 minutes ago
Brief from leagues in #sportsbetting case emphasizes unambiguous nature of injunction and that both dist. ct. and 3d Cir. found it unlawful

Griffin Finan ‏@G_Finan 2m2 minutes ago
Leagues #sportsbetting brief also emphasizes heavy state regulation of casino/racetrack industry, making it "state sponsored" under PASPA

sportsfantatic44 · Sep 29, 2014

As someone who is from NJ, the talk here is that Monmouth Park racetrack is going to have sports betting ready to go at that track come November 1st. I really hope this happens but I highly doubt it will. This seems like a pipe dream to me.

jensinc · Sep 30, 2014

@WALLACHLEGAL 1h1 hour ago
DOJ #sportsbetting brief backtracks on prior statements that NJ free to repeal prohibition; meant to say only that NJ has various "options"

[h=1]Feds weigh in against New Jersey's sports betting quest[/h]
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday night joined the nation's major sports leagues to oppose New Jersey's quest to bring sports betting to casinos and racetracks despite a federal ban.
Arguing in court papers that the state's legal strategy is based on a "meritless theory," the federal government urged U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp to keep in place a prior court order that stopped the state's sports betting plan in its tracks.

The state, which wants that order changed or clarified, must reply to Monday's filing by Oct. 10.

The Department of Justice, like the leagues, says the state's sports betting plan violates the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA.

PASPA effectively bans sports betting outside Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon, which received exemptions to maintain sports betting operations in place before Congress enacted the law in 1992.

New Jersey lawmakers, led by State Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union, say PASPA merely prohibits states from actively authorizing and otherwise regulating sports betting.

They say New Jersey's plan will take a hands-off approach to the practice, not formally authorizing and regulating it, but not barring it either.

Because there would be no state sponsorship or regulation over sports betting, Garden State racetracks and casinos could take sports bets without violating PASPA, the argument goes.

Some attorneys call the approach a creative workaround to the federal ban; others say it’s a bizarre end-run around the law.

JackStraw77 · Sep 30, 2014

You had to know this was not going to happen. If NJ got away with it every other state would do the same. It's too lucrative. California would jump at it to keep the players they have now from going to Las Vegas to make bets. Pennsylvania would offer it to keep their players from going to Monmouth to bet.