Wrong 'March Madness' For New Jersey Without Sports Betting
By Steve Tawa
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., (CBS) -- New Jersey politicians are confident that legalized sports betting would be a major score for Atlantic City, if they get a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney says during March Madness in Las Vegas, 97 percent of hotel rooms are booked, and thousands of people are spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nevada and three other states have full to limited sports betting, but the NCAA and the four major sports leagues filed a lawsuit to block New Jersey's efforts to legalize sports betting at casinos and horse racing tracks.
State Senator Jim Whelan says the high court "should recognize the hypocrisy." He says major TV networks, like ESPN, have "contractual relationships with the NCAA, and we can find out favorites, lines and who beats what spread." Then, he says the NCAA "acts like Louie in Casablanca and is shocked that gambling is going on."
Sweeney says legal counsel for the state of New Jersey are confident that they would be successful, on constitutional grounds, if the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the matter.
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian says they're just asking for a "level playing field."