New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak is scratching his head.
Lesniak’s bill to allow sports betting at New Jersey racetracks and in Atlantic City’s casinos was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie earlier this month.
Lesniak saw the bill as using a loophole in federal law to implement sports betting in the state after federal courts defeated the state’s efforts to overturn a federal ban on sports betting.
Christie saw it as a violation of federal law, though he called it a “novel attempt,” he said it is “counter to our democratic traditions and inconsistent with the Constitutional values I have sworn to defend and protect.”
“While I do not agree with the Circuit Court’s conclusion, I do believe that the rule of law is sacrosanct, binding on all Americans,” Christie wrote in his veto explanation. “That duty adheres with special solemnity to those elected officials privileged to swear an oath to uphold the laws of our nation.”
Christie, however, said the state should continue to look for option to bring sports betting to New Jersey.
“While I remain open to exploring legally sound ways to let the state’s casinos and racetracks offer sports wagering, I am mindful that this process takes time,” Christie wrote.
Lesniak, however, said that’s exactly what his bill did—find another option.
“Everybody’s scratching their heads,” Lesniak said. “Why not try it? What’s the harm? What’s the governor afraid of?”
Lesniak has said he will seek to override the veto, but acknowledged that legislators often vote against overriding vetoes even if they originally supported the bill.
The bill would have simply repealed bans on sports betting in New Jersey, clearing the way for unregulated sports betting at racetracks and casinos. Lesniak said that during the state’s case to overturn the ban, arguments showed that the current federal ban is against state-regulated sports betting.
