The Court released its hotly anticipated decision in the case of New Jersey vs. the four major pro sports leagues, the NCAA and the US Department of Justice. By a vote of 6-3, the Court reversed the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that struck down New Jersey’s plan to authorize legal wagering at Atlantic City casinos and state racetracks.
The Court’s decision declares that 1961 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) violates the US Constitution’s 10th amendment, which prevents the federal government from ‘commandeering’ the authority of state governments. The Court said PASPA “unequivocally dictates what a state legislature may or may not do.”
The majority opinion declares that “the legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make. Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own.”
The ruling could allow as many as 25 other states to seek similar allowances.
To date, West Virginia and Mississippi are the only other states to have passed sports betting legislation, but Monday’s ruling is expected to renew efforts in other states to get on the betting gravy train ASAP.
Source: GMB / Calvin Ayre
