US Supreme Court sets date to hear sports betting sector arguments

The Court announced in June that it would consider New Jersey’s latest bid to overturn the federal PASPA sports betting ban. New Jersey began its quest for legal betting a decade ago, and the ensuing years have witnessed a marked shift in attitudes towards legal sports betting, both from the general public – a majority of whom now hold a favorable view of the activity – and from some of the more progressive league owners, who sense economic opportunity in them thar sportsbooks.

Twenty states across the US have filed amicus briefs in support of the New Jersey appeal, calling for an end to the ban on sports betting. Other organisations such as the National Indian Gaming Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, Major League Baseball and the National Conference of State Legislatures have also voiced their support.

Last week saw the National Hockey League’s newest franchise, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, play their first game. The Knights will be joined in Vegas in a few more years by the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders, and the other major leagues likely won’t be far behind as expansion and/or relocation options present themselves.

Last Thursday, former National Basketball Association star Magic Johnson gave a keynote address at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, the theme of which was the changing narrative of the nexus of sports, gambling and Las Vegas. Johnson declined to offer his personal opinion on legal wagering, but did say the leagues’ former attitude about "the whole thing of betting” was no longer a dealbreaker.

However the oral arguments play out on December 4, the Supreme Court won’t define its verdict until next year, possibly at late as next summer. But US states seems to be ready to collect taxes from legal betting within their borders, and even a negative ruling could spur federal politicians into revising or repealing the betting ban.

Source: GMB / Calvin Ayre