New Jersey wants online sportsbetting

Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine revealed last week that he would be enlisting in Senator Ray Lesniak’s lawsuit against the Federal Government, which was filed in March and seeks to overturn a ban on sportsbetting that goes back to 1992.

Currently, only the states of Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon are allowed to offer sportsbetting while Corzine stated that as much as us$ 100 million could be generated each year from the activity through New Jersey’s 8 % tax on gaming revenues.

“The Federal Government's prohibition on sportsbetting for some but not all states is fundamentally unfair,' said Corzine. 'There should be uniformity in the application of Federal law. If one state is allowed to legalise betting on sports events, all states should be allowed the same opportunity.'

The Governor's support comes a month after Governor Jack Markell from neighbouring Delaware legalised sportsbetting in an attempt to plug a budgetary shortfall of at least us$ 600 million for the coming fiscal year.

'Delaware's entry into sports wagering and table games is a serious threat to both the casino and horseracing industries in New Jersey,' said Corzine. 'We simply cannot afford to sit back and let neighbouring states press an unfair advantage against us anytime and certainly not in the midst of this global economic crisis.'

If the ban can be overturned, Lesniak stated that he would like to authorise sportsbetting at casinos, racetracks and off-track betting establishments in addition to allowing people to place bets online and by telephone. Those in favour of overturning the ban stated that it would revitalise Atlantic City's current economic slump after the state's Casino Control Commission reported a 16.2 % year-on-year decline in revenues for the resort last month.