New Jersey attempt to legalize sports betting denied on appeal

A federal appeals court ruled against New Jersey's sports betting law.

A federal court upheld a lower-court ruling Tuesday that voided New Jersey's attempt to offer legalized sports betting, reportsThe New York Times. 

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit voted 2-1 to uphold a ruling saying New Jersey's sports gambling law violated the United States Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA. 

New Jersey governor Chris Christie began an effort to legalize sports betting in the state in 2011. In 2012, Christie signed a sports betting bill into law, but a district court judge issued an injunction preventing New Jersey from moving ahead with it.

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Last October, Christie signed into law a new bill allowing casinos and racetracks to create sports betting operations without state licenses or regulations. A month later, the same district court judge issued a permanent injunction against the new law. It was this injunction New Jersey appealed to the Third Circuit court. 

New Jersey state attorneys will now ask the entire Third Circuit to hear the case, reportsThe Times. 

PAPSA, signed into law in 1992, was designed to protect athletes and coaches from the danger of “throwing” games. The law exempted four states—Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware—which had already adopted sports betting by 1992.

- Rohan Nadkarni