Will it be a slam dunk for the US sports betting wagering restriction?
By Natalie Sherman
Business reporter, New York
A restriction on sports betting in most US states might be overturned by a case being thought about by the Supreme Court.
The state of New Jersey is challenging the 1992 federal law that mainly disallowed sports betting gaming, describing the matter as a "states' rights" problem.
The case, which started on Monday, follows New Jersey citizens enacted 2011 to legalise sports betting wagering.
A group of sports betting leagues opposes banking on games, which they fear will encourage match-fixing.
Lower courts have regularly ruled versus New Jersey, saying it is within the power to restrict a state's policy alternatives.
The Supreme Court opted to hear the case nevertheless in the middle of a wider shift in American mindsets toward gambling.
Before 1976, Nevada - home of the Las Vegas strip - was the only state with legal gambling establishments outside Native American lands.
But recently, states starving for tax revenue in the wake of the monetary crash have enacted a rash of looser sports betting laws, collecting large levies on gaming revenue.
There are now 24 states with business casinos - approximately double the number a years earlier.
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Despite the official restriction, which currently excuses Nevada and three other states, prohibited sports betting is rife in the US.
Americans place about $154bn in prohibited sports betting bets every year, according to the American Gaming Association.
The association's president, Geoff Freeman, described the federal restriction, external as an "utter failure" earlier this year.
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It states the UK is an example of a nation where sports betting is prevalent.
"It's time for Washington to stop denying states of important tax income and permit them to reap the rewards of a regulated market," Mr Freeman said.
More than 15 states submitted documents in assistance of New Jersey in the case. A handful have already passed laws to authorise sports betting in the occasion of a change.
'Times have changed'
On Monday, as legal representatives started arguments for the Supreme Court, some more conservative judges appeared sceptical of the existing law.
The court is expected to make a decision in June 2018.
"If we are effective here we might have bets being taken in New Jersey within 2 weeks of a decision by the court," said outbound New Jersey guv Chris Christie after going to the court hearing. "We're prepared in New Jersey - we're all set to go."
Regardless of the court's last ruling, Congress might also take up the debate amid broader discussion about online video gaming and e-sports betting.
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Even some of the professional sports betting leagues have actually begun to change their positions on the question of sports betting.
Adam Silver, National Basketball Association commissioner, supported a federal law that would develop an uniform set of guidelines across the US. "Times have altered," he wrote in a 2014 viewpoint piece, external.
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Will it be a Slam Dunk for the United States Sports Betting Ban?
Normand Whittell edited this page 2025-01-17 21:10:35 +08:00