The long running New Jersey sports betting battle took a major turn last week when a U.S. federal court granted the state’s request for a new hearing on the matter.
In granting the new hearing, the court has vacated its previous rulings in the case and breathed fresh life into the Garden State’s Quixotic quest to legalize and regulate sports betting.
NJ sports wagering supporters are hailing the ruling as a major victory and some are even saying that NJ punters could be legally placing wagers by the end of NFL season.
Sifting through the legalese in this case is challenging, but the short version goes as follows:
- The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has granted an en banc hearing in the New Jersey sports betting case after a majority of judges on the circuit voted to do so.
- An en banc hearing is one where the case is heard in front of all judges on the circuit, rather than just a couple.
- These sorts of hearings are pretty rare and the mere fact that it’s been granted is great news for New Jersey.
Legal experts seem to agree that the odds in this case are shifting in New Jersey’s favor.
Some Jersey sports betting enthusiasts, including State Senator Ray Lesniak, have gone so far as to predict that legal sports betting will be up and running in time for the Super Bowl in February.
While Lesniak’s prediction seems a bit on the optimistic side, optimism is definitely warranted in this case.This is the first major victory New Jersey has scored in the three-year-old case.
That said, even if the judge’s decide completely in New Jersey’s favor, it’s very likely that its opponents (mainly the NFL and its army of lawyers) will appeal the decision.