Sports betting now accepted in New Jersey
Governor Christie has signed a bill into law allowing the state's casinos and racetracks to operate sportsbooks
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed a bill into law allowing racetracks and casino operators in the state to offer sports betting without being prosecuted.
The Bill – S 2460 – repeals part of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that bans casinos and racetracks in all bar four US states from offering sports betting.
The decision is expected to be challenged by numerous sports leagues.
The state’s racetracks and casinos can offer wagers on sporting events, so long as they are not on a college sport or athletic events that takes place in New Jersey, or in which any New Jersey college team participates, regardless of where the event takes place.
Federal law still bans any state from legalising sports betting, but New Jersey said it was not regulating, licensing or otherwise authorising sports betting, but simply allowing the racetracks to launch a sportsbook without fear of prosecution.
The decision will be a boost for European operators such as William Hill, which has ambitious growth plans for the US and earlier this year revealed it had targeted annual US revenues of $100m.
William Hill recently secured a deal with New Jersey racetrack Monmouth Park to become its exclusive sports betting provider, and has said it could be live with its sportsbook by the end of the month.
The announcement will also provide a boost to UK-headquartered Sportech who already offers pari-mutuel betting technology and services to Monmouth Park, with plans to further expand its land-based and online business across the US.
Monmouth Park has confirmed it will start taking sports wagers on 26 October.
“I want to express our thanks and gratitude to the entire New Jersey Legislature,” said Dennis Drazin, advisor to Darby Development, operators of Monmouth Park.
“We can’t wait to welcome new fans to the racetrack as we embark on this exciting new era in the long and storied history of Monmouth Park,” he added.
The news comes after Christie and acting attorney general John Hoffman issued a directive last month saying law enforcement officers would not prosecute casinos and racetracks operating a sportsbook.
“As I’ve said all along, I am a strong proponent of legalised sports wagering in New Jersey,” Governor Christie said on signing the Bill into law.
“But given earlier decisions by federal courts, it was critical that we follow a correct and appropriate path to curtail new court challenges and expensive litigation.
“I believe we have found that path in this bipartisan legislative effort,” he added.
The Bill has been signed into law despite a federal judge banning New Jersey from implementing its Sports Wagering Act which was signed into law back Governor Christie back in March 2012.
The judge said the Act violated PASPA, which bans sports betting in all states bar Nevada, Oregon Delaware and Montana.
A federal appeals court agreed, but conceded that nothing prevented the state from appealing its own ban.
New Jersey appealed to the Supreme Court in a bid to overturn the lower court’s decision, with Senator Lesniak drafting his own bill – SB 2250 – to allow sports betting based on the revised interpretation of PASPA after the Supreme Court chose not take the case.
Christie vetoed Lesniak’s Bill after raising concerns over how it sat with other federal law, but the Governor said S 2460 “remedied” the issues he raised in his veto.
“This bill [S 2640] closely adheres to controlling federal law, fully responds to the issues raised by the federal courts, and remedies the concerns requiring my veto of SB 2250 earlier this year,” he said.