New Jersey Sports Betting Remains Illegal After Appeals Court Ruling

The news has been filing in via Twitter about the case, the result of which had been anticipated for months. The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals held the status quo, which is sports betting cannot take place in New Jersey:

In 2014, New Jersey had passed a law that would allow sports betting to take place at its casinos.

The professional sports leagues in the U.S. (NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL), the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Justice took New Jersey to court over the law, trying to keep the ban in place. The leagues won in the lower court before again winning this appeal.

What the court ruled
At issue was how New Jersey’s sports betting law intersected with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which more or less banned sports betting nationwide. (That’s true except for Nevada; limited sports wagering takes place in both Montana and Delaware, as well. Oregon was not impacted by PASPA, but later banned sports betting on its own).

The court held:  “We conclude that the 2014 Law violates PASPA because it authorizes by law sports gambling.”  The court cited three reasons for its holding.  First, the court stated that absent the 2014 law, sports gambling prohibitions would apply to casinos and racetracks; therefore, repealing those prohibitions must amount to an authorization.  “The 2014 law provides the authorization for conduct that is otherwise clearly and completely legally prohibited.”

By Payton
on