Sports Betting Legalization Shot Down In New Jersey
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- New Jersey's latest try at legalizing sports betting has been blocked in federal appeals court.
The Third Circuit ruled the state was trying to make an end run around federal law when it repealed its ban on such wagering at casinos and racetracks.
"Interestingly, the law does not prohibit sports betting in the US, it just prohibits states from authorizing and regulating sports betting," said Chris Soriano, a gaming attorney with Duane Morris in Cherry Hill.
Writing the majority opinion in the 10-2 decision, Judge Midge Rendell warned "states may not use clever drafting or mandatory construction provisions to escape the supremacy of federal law."
New Jersey could appeal to the Supreme Court, though the justices rejected an earlier challenge to the 1992 ban on sports betting.