US Federal Court Again Rules Against New Jersey Sportsbetting

The US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier ruling which determined that New Jersey's law legalizing sports betting is in conflict with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which outlawed sports betting in most states.

The decision came in a 2-1 ruling, during which the court stated: "We are cognizant that certain questions related to this case — whether gambling on sporting events is harmful to the games' integrity and whether states should be permitted to license and profit from the activity — engender strong views. But we are not asked to judge the wisdom of PASPA or of New Jersey 's law, or of the desirability of the activities they seek to regulate. We speak only to the legality of these measures as a matter of constitutional law ... New Jersey 's sports wagering law conflicts with PASPA and, under our Constitution, must yield."

The state of New Jersey legalized the sports betting bill in 2012, with Governor Chris Christie signing it into law. The move was almost immediately challenged by the US Government and the major sports leagues operating in the country. The government claims that the bill conflicts with PAPSA, which restricts sports betting only to Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon, while the sports leagues fear that betting undermines the integrity of the sports.

Governor Christie feels that PAPSA is unconstitutional and has vowed to challenge the law all the way to the US Supreme Court.

Casino Listings will update this story as more developments arise.