Supreme Court Allows Sports Gambling Throughout the Country
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Sports gambling is a billion dollar industry, one that now New Jersey, and all states in the United States, will be able to get in on. On Monday the Supreme Court struck down the federal law that prohibited most states from authorizing sports betting.
This ruling opens up the possibility for states other than Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon to get in on one of the most lucrative industries: sports betting.
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Justice Samuel Alito wrote the 7-2 opinion in favor of New Jersey:
"The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make...Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own."
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor were the two dissenting voices on the decision.
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Ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was the one who challenged the 25-year-old law, called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Christie brought it in an attempt to boost up Atlantic City, which has eroded over the years
\u201cA 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.\u201d— Chris Christie (@Chris Christie) 1526307870
It was also a defeat over the four major sports leagues, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, as well as the NCAA, who kept on defeatingNew Jersey in lower courts.
Source: NPR