Now that the Supreme Court has ruled against a federal ban on sports gambling, New Jersey is poised to fight back, according to a report from NJ.com. For seven years, New Jersey fought the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA in court after Chris Christie, the former governor, circumvented the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 by legalizing gambling on sports in the Garden State.
The suit is now over, and New Jersey lawmaker and State Senate president Stephen Sweeney is exploring a lawsuit against the entities that sued New Jersey. Not only, Sweeney notes, did New Jersey spend over $9 million of taxpayer money on the case, but he claims that casinos and racetracks lost about $700 million during the time that they could have been open, per NJ.com.
"I think we should be pushing back: 'Look, you cost us a lot of money,'" Sweeney said, via NJ.com. "There's a potential for the state of New Jersey to recover some real funds."
Sweeney says that he is yet to speak to New Jersey's governor or assembly speaker about the lawsuit, but he added that "we hold our strongest hand when the Legislature and the governor and the administration goes together."
While the NFL has publicly maintained a position against sports gambling -- with Roger Goodell calling for uniform laws across all states -- the four professional sports have softened up in their own ways. The NHL added the Golden Knights to Vegas, and the NFL is moving the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas as well. The NBA and MLB have opened their ears to talks about regulated gambling, including an "integrity fee" that would protect them from fixing. Sweeney is adamantly against these fees.
Whether or not this lawsuit would hold water is questionable, but for New Jersey, it could still be an opportunity to recoup some funds lost in a long legal battle.
