Major USA Leagues File Petition to Block Sports Betting in New Jersey

Five US sports leagues have filed a petition to a federal court in an attempt to stop sports betting in licensed gambling establishments in the state of New Jersey.

The major leagues NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA as well as the NCAA have joined together as they fight for the same cause and in turn announced their latest move in a statement sent to media outlets on Monday.

Senator Raymond Lesniak suggested back in June that the state planned to allow sports betting in New Jersey ahead of the new NFL season, and while the legislation has yet to be passed, U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp is expected to make a ruling by the end of next week in Trenton.

US sports leagues, however, are determined to block the Senator’s attempts to introduce sports betting at state licensed casinos and racetracks, referring to the actions of Ray Lesniak as blatant violation of the country’s federal laws.

Supreme Court Ruled Against Lifting The Ban in June

The Supreme Court already ruled against lifting a ban on sports gambling in Atlantic City casinos and state’s racetracks back in June, and the sports leading executives are obviously hoping for another similar decision.

They believe that sports betting in New Jersey would have a detrimental effect on the sports’ integrity by placing an extra pressure on players and coaches to fix the outcome of matches in return for hefty financial rewards.

Gambling is currently allowed only in land-based casinos and racetracks licensed by the state, but the Senator hopes to boost the tax revenue by persuading the Supreme Court not to renew the federal ban on gambling.

With four Atlantic City casinos already closing this year and Trump Taj Mahal set to follow, Senator Raymond Lesniak hopes that sports gambling would help the gaming establishments increase their revenue and sustain competition from casinos in neighbouring states.

New Jersey voters largely voted in favour of sports gambling being introduced in state licensed venues in 2011, but the five sports leagues challenged the proposal and eventually saw the Federal Court rule that such a legislation would violate the 1992 federal law, but many believe that the state chiefs will eventually succeed in their quest despite the strong opposition from top sporting competitions in the country.