Legal Sports Betting One Step Closer in New Jersey: Earlier this week, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly voted to approve a change to their state constitution which will allow regulated Atlantic City casinos to provide sports betting just like Las Vegas casinos. The push to legalize sports wagering in New Jersey picked up steam two years ago, the current vote is a big move but the battle to get sports betting is far from over. The final margin of the vote was 65% in favor and 35% opposed.
“We’re very happy that now, after this long and difficult process, the question of legal sports betting is at last moving through the proper venues,” said IMEGA director Joe Brennan Jr. “New Jersey’s citizens have voted to amend their state constitution to permit regulated sports wagering. This referendum was a reflection of the most powerful form of change in our government – a purely democratic, majority decision by popular vote.”
Brennan, a close friend of mine and one of the most vocal critics of the current national ban on internet gambling is a the forefront of changing the laws in New Jersey, went on to say: “Regardless of how much the NFL and billionaire team owners want to turn a blind eye to the reality of sports betting in the US, regardless of how much they’ll try to leverage their privilege and political connections to block this, they’ll not succeed.”
Dont expect to be betting your NFL Week 10 Predictions at the Borgata just yet, there are a few more steps that need to take place before a wager will be allowed in the Atlantic City casinos. Brennan expects a battle in Federal court to overturn the unconstitutional Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), which will pave the way for legalized sports betting in New Jersey and potentially any other state that wants to allow sports wagering to generate badly needed revenue to plug holes in their budgets.
“Federal law now directly conflicts with the constitutional will of the people of New Jersey. A federal law that was the result of personal interests, intruding into the public space and inflicting real harm on New Jersey, will now be closely examined by the courts. It will no doubt be found fatally flawed, and overturned. Of course, we could avoid all of this – the court battles, the expenditure, the silliness, really – if the Department of Justice would simply acknowledge what it did when PASPA was first enacted almost 20 years ago: that the law is unconstitutional.”
Its pretty clear that the Federal government overstepped its bounds by enacting PASPA, but this obvious and blatant attempt by a special interest minority to control regulated sports betting in the United States (Las Vegas Casinos) has several high powered supporters that will fight the will of the citizens of New Jersey. The biggest and most obvious opponent to the spread of legalized sports betting is the National Football League.
“We could avoid all of this if the NFL and other opponents simply recognized the obvious: sports betting is here, always has been, always will be, no matter how much finger wagging the owners may do at every day fans who, with their wager, choose to back their favorite teams with more than just the exorbitant cost of a ticket, licensed team gear, or Team Logo lottery tickets. If the leagues and their supporters want to protect the integrity of their games – which we do as well – they should embrace regulation with both arms. Because you cannot be vigilant with your head in the sand.”
State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, has been the main driving force in pushing the New Jersey legislature to adopt the sports betting legislation. Governor Chris Christie endorsed yesterday’s vote and pledge to work to champion New Jersey’s right in court. Christie is a former US Attorney for New Jersey and his backing will be invaluable for assuring the public and the various professional sports leagues that the integrity of the games and they system will be of paramount concern.
Kudos to all involved in this potentially landmark legal battle happening in New Jersey. Point-Spreads.com readers are urged to support the efforts of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (IMEGA) in their ongoing fight for the rights of all United States citizens to participate in regulated and secure internet gambling.
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