The state is faced with only one option left which is to request a hearing in the Supreme Court. But this has been termed as a long shot by many legal experts.
The State based its case on the argument that PASPA is unconstitutional as it violates the Tenth Amendment of the constitution. This amendment allows the state to decide its course of action if there is no conflicting federal regulation.
Another key point the state used is the equal sovereignty doctrine. According to this the federal government is obligated to view every state equally. As 4 out of 46 states are permitted to indulge in sports betting, prohibiting the other states is a violation of the doctrine.
The leagues have strongly opposed this claim on the basis that the four states had already legalized betting in 1992, something New Jersey choose not to do.
The governor of New Jersey has expressed desire to take the matter to the Supreme Court even though the odd are not in favor of the State.
As the Supreme Court only reviews 1% of the cases, the chances for an appeal look very slim. Moreover there is no guarantee that the state will win its argument.
Therefore the best option for the state is to get the PASPA off the books. But this is not as easy as it sounds. As there is no momentum in place for repealing the PASPA, the Congress will take its own time. Hence this is not the best short term solution.
Many people were pinning their hopes on the repeal of the prohibition because there is an enormous amount of money hanging in the balance. The many casinos in Atlantic City could get a major boost if the ban is revoked.
The prohibition imposed on sports betting has helped the illegal betting industry to grow by leaps and bounds. According to the American Gaming Association that is in favor of rolling back of the prohibition reported that the illegal betting business generates revenue of $150 billion every year.
Many experts feel that this colossal loss to the state government is a direct result of the law that fuels such illegal and dangerous sports betting markets. Therefore the federal government bears the onus of fixing the flawed law.
The senator Raymond Lesniak who is a democrat from Elizabeth was quoted as saying “It’s just wrong for Congress to deny New Jersey what the state of Nevada has.”
Out of the 12 member jury panel, there were 2 judges who supported the claim put forth by the state of New Jersey. The dissenting judges felt that PASPA was unconstitutional as it violated the sovereignty of the state.
Taking a cue from New Jersey, other states like Pennsylvania, New York and California are trying to push bills that will legalize betting in the states. This will pump in additional revenue in the state’s coffers.
New Jersey’s stand has been resting on shaky grounds from the beginning. But the case has brought together people from different fraternities like lawmakers, proponents of sports, casinos owners and even the general public.
As per the polls conducted by the Seton Hall University, a whopping 63% of the population feels that sports betting should be made legal. Also 68% of the respondents felt that the legality of sports betting should rest in the hands of the state government.
The state also plans to launch a formal lobbying bid in the early part of next year for legalizing sports betting. Find out more at casinorewards