The state of New Jersey has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court as the next step in its effort to legalize sports betting at casinos and horse racing tracks, the Star-Ledger reported.
The appeal was filed last Wednesday on behalf of Gov. Chris Christie and the state Legislature, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, one of the law’s chief sponsors, said.
New Jersey voters passed a sports betting referendum in 2011, but the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA sued the state in 2012 to prevent the law from being implemented. The leagues claim that expansion of sports betting would threaten the integrity of their games.
The Supreme Court deciding just to hear a case is far from a slam dunk – in fact, it's more like half-court heave. Still, Lesniak likes New Jersey's chances of at least having its position heard.
“The overall odds on the Supreme Court taking appeals is not good, it’s about 10 percent,” Lesniak told the Star-Ledger. “I think they’re going to take the case because of it’s of great magnitude – of social issues that have been on the front burner of the Supreme Court in recent years.”
Lesniak said the state expects to hear by June whether the Court will take it up.
In September, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, by a 2-1 vote, upheld a ruling by U.S. District Court judge Michael Shipp that said the state's betting law conflicts with federal law. But the fact that the ruling was not unanimous gave the state hope.
Lesniak characterized the state’s chances at ultimately winning at “probably less than 50-50. But if you’re not in, you can’t win it. And we’re in it.”
The Supreme Court is New Jersey's last chance to succeed in its case at the judicial level. Should the Court not agree to hear the case, or rule against the state, an effort to change the law at the legislative level figures to be next.
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