New Jersey will appeal sports betting ruling

In a ruling published late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp sided with the four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA in rejecting the state's constitutional challenge to the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a law that prohibits legal sports gambling in all but Nevada and three other states. In December, Shipp denied New Jersey's claim that the leagues and NCAA didn't have standing to sue the state because they couldn't demonstrate tangible harm to their products if New Jersey were to allow sports betting.

"We believe firmly in the principles of our position on sports betting and that the federal ban is inequitable, violates New Jersey's rights as a state and is unconstitutional," Christie said through a spokesman Friday. "Even the trial judge has noted that he was not likely the final arbiter in the matter. We are confident that the federal court of appeals will conclude that New Jersey should be treated equally with other states. New Jersey's casino industry has seen revenues decline steadily over the last several years in the face of competition from neighboring states. Atlantic City's newest casino, Revel, announced last week that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month, about a year after it opened. Earlier in February, the Trump Plaza casino was sold for us$ 20 million, the lowest price ever paid for an Atlantic City casino. The industry could get a lift from legislation signed by Christie this week that made New Jersey the third in the nation to allow gambling over the Internet.Billions of dollars are bet legally each year on sports in Nevada, and experts estimate tens or even hundreds of billions are wagered illegally through bookmakers. In oral arguments before Shipp last month, former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, arguing for New Jersey, decried the loss of sports gambling revenue to Nevada's "permanent monopoly."