filed by the NFL and other sports organization that will try to stop the state from sponsoring legalized sports betting. Gov. Chris Christie noted that this issue is unlikely to keep New Jersey from hosting the
“We knew this legal process was going to unfold,” Drazin said. “With it occurring now, this prevents a situation where we make investments to launch sports betting only to have it interrupted by a shutdown.”
“Let the games begin,” said Lesniak, a Democrat from Union County. “From the start, we wanted our day in court to prove that the federal ban on sports wagering is unconstitutional.”
“We’re well on the way, us and New York, in terms of planning for the Super Bowl, and I have no concerns about that,” Christie said. “Do I have any direct assurances from (the NFL)? No, I haven’t.”
“I think we’ll be fine. I think we’ll prepare for the Super Bowl, do a great job with the Super Bowl, and we’ll have our separate legal fight,” Christie added.
"This is an action challenging New Jersey's plan to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, license, and authorize gambling on amateur and professional sports, in clear and flagrant violation of federal law," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit adds: "Gambling on amateur and professional sports threatens the integrity of those sports and is fundamentally at odds with the principle ... that the outcomes of collegiate and professional athletic contests must be determined ... solely on the basis of honest athletic competition."
"The hypocrisy is what kills me," said New Jersey Sen. James Whelan (D., Atlantic). "The NFL and NCAA have a contract with ESPN to televise point spreads on major games, and you're telling me there's no betting on sports already going on? The leagues have to clean up their own houses."
