In November, New Jersey residents overwhelmingly approved a ballot question that amended the state constitution to allow sports betting at Atlantic City casinos and the state's racetracks by nearly a 2-1 ratio.
Proponents of sports betting contended that legislation legalizing it is the next piece they needed before the state can fight to overturn the federal law, enacted in 1992, that prohibits wagering on sports in all but four states: Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware.
After the federal law was enacted, any state that wanted sports betting had 18 months to get it grandfathered in. New Jersey failed to meet the deadline because a bill never made it out of committee in 1993.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by a prominent New Jersey lawmaker last spring on the ground that he had no standing to overturn the federal law, known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Since 1975, Las Vegas has had a monopoly on single-game wagering, considered the most lucrative type of sports betting.
Professional sports leagues say they stand ready to fight any expansion of PASPA. The leagues and the courts quashed Delaware's effort two years ago to offer more than parlay bets on NFL games, requiring a bettor to place bets on at least three games, and for all three to be right, to win the wager.
"We have a long-held unwavering opposition to gambling on NFL games," said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. "We have been an active proponent of federal and state legislation that prohibits the spread of legal sports gambling. We continue to support the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which became law in 1992 and prohibits states from operating a lottery or betting scheme based on pro or college games."
