New Jersey’s Supreme Court appeal over its sports betting appeal is continuing as the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office has scheduled a meeting of the parties involved according to a report on NJ.com.
The state’s sports-betting law was struck down in federal court and then by a federal appeals court. The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court—the second time it has made an appeal on sports betting to the high court.
Unlike the first attempt—when the Court refused to hear the appeal—the Court in January asked the Solicitor General’s Office to weigh in on the case. The Solicitor General has scheduled the meeting for April 10, according to NJ.com.
New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak—one of the state’s leading proponents on gambling issues—tells the website he is confident that the high court could make a decision on whether to hear the case by June. If the Court hears the case, a decision could be made by late fall, he said.
The state’s Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto are interveners in the case on the side of Governor Christie and the state Attorney General’s office. Opposing the state are the major sports organizations of the NFL, NCAA, NBA, NHL, and MLB.
The state is hoping to get around a federal ban on regulated sports betting by allowing self-regulated sports betting at its racetracks and casinos.
