U.S. Supreme Court won't hear appeal in New Jersey sports betting case

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday a decision not to hear an appeal in the sports betting case between NCAA/professional sports leagues and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

According to Paulick Report, the horsemen assert they are owed a $3.4 million bond plus interest, as well as up to $150 million in damages for lost revenue on sports betting between 2014 and 2018.

In 2014, New Jersey had gotten around a federal ban on sports wagering by passing a state law allowing it. A federal judge at the time ruled sports wagering could not be offered in the state while the NCAA and professional sports leagues sought an injunction against sports wagering in New Jersey. The court required the leagues to put up $3.4 million in bond, meant to represent possible losses to the NJTHA in the event they lost their injunction. 

When the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that sports wagering could become legal, the NJTHA said it became entitled to the lost revenue that would have taken place between 2014 and 2018, in addition to that bond.

The NJTHA has asserted that sports leagues were working to oppose sports wagering while making money from fantasy sports which, like sports wagering, relied upon the performance of individual players.

The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had found in favor of the NJTHA. A federal court will now consider how much the leagues will be required to pay the horsemen.