New Jersey has Paid $7.2 Million in Legal Fees in Sportsbetting Fight

The state of New Jersey is the favorite to prevail in their fight to legalize sportsbetting in their state, but it has come at quite a cost... $7.2 million to be exact.

The Garden State has paid out the huge sum to two law firms that have been working the case, wherein New Jersey claims that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) is unconstitutional. The argument is that the law violates the 10th Amendment, which stipulates that the federal government cannot force states to comply with a law that other states are immune to. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of New Jersey, it's likely that the legal cost of pushing the case would be recouped quickly with taxes taken in from operators that offer the service to their customers.

The state has been paying for the legal fees since October 2012, and the total doesn't' include charges related to the lawyers having the case worked in the US Supreme Court, which happened last December.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case in the near future, with the next possibility for a ruling coming next week.