Could this be the boost that the ailing land based casinos of Atlantic City are looking for? Sports betting is now legal in the state of New Jersey in an obvious bid by Governor Chris Christie to help the casino industry in the state of New Jersey. The ban on sports betting was lifted on Monday September 8th 2014 and that may go down as the date that Garden State gambling begins its turn around after seeing three major casinos shut their doors this year. Right now, casinos and racetracks in the state may accept sports wagers after Governor Christie decided that, after a recent federal hearing, there was nothing prohibiting New Jersey doing so and released a statement stating that, “Based on the arguments of the sports leagues and the United States Department of Justice, the 3rd Circuit has already ruled that New Jersey can carry out sports wagering as described in today’s statewide directive, the motion simply would clarify and formalize that authority and give clear guidance to casinos and racetracks waiting to open a sports pool in New Jersey.”
It’s been a long road getting to this stage as New Jersey voters actually voted for sports betting to be allowed in the state back in 2011. In 2012 the New Jersey Sports Betting Wagering Act was signed by Gov Christie however it was blocked by an appeal in federal court from several sports organizations. However after hearing the appeal New Jersey got the green light, but this does not signify the end of the road as further appeals against the decision may be brought forward. For the meantime however it’s all systems go and New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman acted swiftly and informed all casinos and racetracks in the state of the decision, with casinos now rushing to get ready to take sports wagers.
