Governor Christie, House Rep Pallone on sports betting lawsuit

Internet, Mobile & Sports Betting

Governor Christie, House Rep Pallone on sports betting lawsuit Governor Christie on the pro sports leagues and NCAA filing federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking permanent ban on New Jersey casinos or racetracks offering sports betting (per colleague John Reitmeyer):

“Listen, there’s a federal law that was passed that restricts the states that can participate in sports gambling to just four states. We believe that that law is unconstitutional. We put the question before the voters of New Jersey. The voters of New Jersey said they wanted to allow sports gambling in New Jersey.”

“We’re moving ahead. We issued regulations to allow for the issuance of licenses for sports gambling and once we did that the sports leagues have now sued and so the battle is engaged.”

“I have a conference call at 5 p.m. this afternoon with the attorney general and the director of the division of law to talk about the next steps that we’ll take legally to defend our position.”

“I think we’re going to win. We’re going to win because I don’t believe that the federal government has the right to decide that only certain states can have sports gambling.

On what basis? And it does not acknowledge that there is illegal sports gambling going on in every state in America as we speak. And so why is this more injurious somehow than illegal gambling to the operations of the leagues or the NCAA?

I don’t believe it’s up to the federal government to decide what happens within the borders of a state on this issue, especially when they permit other states to do it. If it was a grand, nationwide prohibition maybe that would be an argument, but how is it, sports gambling in New Jersey, going to effect the sports leagues any more than it already effects the sports leagues in Nevada?

It happens every day all over the state of Nevada and three other states and I don’t understand why New Jersey would make it so much worse. I think ultimately it’s going to be found unconstitutional. We’re going to have a long road ahead of us in the courts, but we’re prepared for the fight.”

Christie on Super Bowl specifically:

“We’re well along the way, us and New York, in terms of planning the Super Bowl. I have no concerns. Have I gotten any direct assurances from Commissioner Goodell, no I haven’t. But I saw him last week, or two weeks ago when I was in Idaho, he certainly didn’t raise the issue with me in our conversations about holding the Super Bowl, so I think we’ll be fine.

“I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can prepare for the Super Bowl and do a great job with the Super Bowl and we’ll have our separate legal fight over whether or not sports gambling should be legal in more than four states in the United States.”…………………….

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., the author of the New Jersey Betting and Equal Treatment Act of 2012 (NJ BET Act), H.R. 3081, which amends the current law to exclude the State of New Jersey from the prohibition on professional sports gambling. Congressman Pallone is also a co-sponsor of fellow New Jersey Congressman, Frank LoBiondo’s bill the Sports Gaming Opportunity Act of 2012, H.R. 3797, which would also take steps to bring sports betting to New Jersey. His comments:

“I am outraged by the lawsuit filed today by the NCAA and four professional sports leagues to prevent New Jersey from allowing legal sports betting in our state. The suit is disappointing and points to a naïve and unrealistic notion that prohibiting New Jersey from allowing sports betting will somehow reduce or prevent gambling on professional and college sports.

“It is widely known that sports betting in the Unites States is currently occurring illegally and offshore and is frequently run by major criminal enterprises. Each year this illegal sports betting represents billions of dollars. By engaging in this lawsuit, the NCAA, MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL are in effect condoning and encouraging the continued criminal activity associated with sports gambling, an activity for which state and federal law enforcement officials are forced to dedicate countless man hours and resources to pursue.

“My bill making sports betting legal in New Jersey would not only help to stem the criminal activity associated with sports gambling, it would also pump much needed revenue into to our state by taking the gambling out of the shadows and regulating it. It has become clear that the states need to step in and regulate sports betting.

“I look forward to continuing to work with my colleague, Congressman LoBiondo to push for both of our bills and to fight to allow New Jersey to bring critical revenues back into the state and out of the hands of criminals.”

http://blog.northjersey.com/meadowlandsmatters/3320/governor-christie-house-rep-pallone-on-sports-betting-lawsuit/