Sports gamblers around the country may want to keep a close eye on Washington D.C. as the United States Supreme Court has decided to make a judgment on an appeal filed by the state of New Jersey regarding legalized sports betting.
New Jersey is fighting to be able to offer legalized sports betting in casinos and racetracks. The state has lost every legal battle along the way, which seemed to suggest even reaching the Supreme Court was a fading scenario. New Jersey is seeking to overturn a 1992 law prohibiting state-sponsored sports betting.
But don’t expect any ruling to be made too soon. The soonest the Supreme Court may hear the case would likely be in the fall, according to David Purdum of ESPN. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has led the charge for New Jersey, as it would score some political brownie points by opening doors to new revenue opportunities.
Having the law overturned would likely provide a spark to the state’s fading casino landscape. New Jersey has seen casinos shut down and customers flee to states like Delaware and Pennsylvania to cash in on their gambling desires.
It may not have any significance to the Supreme Court’s ruling, but the sports landscape has shifted its stance overall on sports gambling over the years as well, aside from the NFL and NCAA. The real story to follow though will be what happens if New Jersey gets a favorable Supreme Court ruling. If New Jersey can dip its toes in the world of state-sponsors sports betting, so will every other state in the country as well.
That would be huge for sports betting.
