Legalization of Sports Betting
Sports betting, in a 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court, legalized sports gambling by striking down a federal law prohibition the practice. The justices struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act with this decision. In addition, the decision upheld the ruling in Murphy v. NCAA, a New Jersey case.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tweeted “A great day for the rights of states and their people to make their own decisions. New Jersey citizens wanted sports gambling and the federal Gov’t had no right to tell them no. The Supreme Court agrees with us today. I am proud to have fought for the rights of the people of NJ.”
New Jersey has long been the leading advocate for the legalization of sports gambling, due in part to the downfall of Atlantic City. The famous casino hub is facing closing casinos and a drop off in revenue, and this decision aids an attempt to revive the struggling industry, which accounts for a large majority of New Jersey’s tourism and economy.
As of the middle of March, 18 states were preparing to pass legislation that would permit people to bet on sporting events, which is destined to increase now that the practice is legal.
The legalization of sports betting opens new doors for sports franchises to partner with casinos for advertisements and logos on jerseys, possibly creating a whole new source of revenue for a franchise. Cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City could return to their glory days with the popularity of sports and willingness of people to add interest to boring, irrelevant games. With this Supreme Court decisions, the possibilities really are endless.
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