TRENTON — A Senate committee heard testimony this morning from key industry leaders who want legislation legalizing sports betting in New Jersey to pump revenue into the state’s ailing horse racing and casino industries. The State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee is considering legislation that would allow betting on professional sports in Atlantic City and the state’s...
Horses are shown at the Meadowlands Racetrack in a file photo. A Senate committee heard testimony this morning from key industry leaders who want legislation legalizing sports betting in New Jersey.TRENTON — A Senate committee heard testimony this morning from key industry leaders who want legislation legalizing sports betting in New Jersey to pump revenue into the state’s ailing horse racing and casino industries.
The State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee is considering legislation that would allow betting on professional sports in Atlantic City and the state’s race tracks.
On the ballot this Nov. 8 is a referendum asking whether the state constitution should be amended to allow sports betting. Even if the referendum passes, the state would have a big hurdle to clear: overturning the federal ban on sports betting.
Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) said having a referendum and a law supporting the legalization of sports betting will give New Jersey strong standing to overturn that ban.
This would not be New Jersey’s first attempt to overturn the ban. In March, U.S. District Judge Garret Brown rejected a lawsuit filed by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and gaming advocates. Brown had said the group did not have legal standing to bring the litigation and that it was Gov. Chris Christie — through the state Attorney General’s Office — who should have filed the suit.
"The federal ban is unconstitutional in many ways… and if challenged in court would not hold up,’’ Lesniak said. "If this referendum passes, the chances are certainly better than not that we will have sports betting in the state of New Jersey.’’
Lesniak’s Parsippany law firm challenged the legality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) as unconstitutional because it bans betting in all but four states. When PASPA was enacted in 1992, it grandfathered in the states that already had legalized sports betting _ Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana. It also gave New Jersey a year to pass a law authorizing sports betting but the deadline passed without any legislative action.
The committee this morning heard testimony from Lesniak and representatives of the casino and horse racing industries who voiced their support for legislation they said that would make them more competitive with neighboring states that have been siphoning tourists from the casinos of Atlantic City and the race tracks at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park.
The proposed legislation would ban wagering on New Jersey colleges and university teams wherever they play and on college sports teams playing in New Jersey.
Previous Coverage:
• Poll finds most N.J. residents support legal sports betting
• Federal judge throws out lawsuit claiming N.J. sports betting ban is unconstitutional
• Could sports betting save New Jersey?
• N.J. Legislature approves legalizing sports betting question on election ballot
• N.J. Senate to vote on adding sports betting at casinos, racetracks