June 12, 2009 (CAP Newswire) — An interesting piece at MajorWager.com claims that the state of New Jersey can take some credit for the current movement in the U.S. to legalize online gambling. That state’s initiative to overcome federal regulations and legalize sports betting within its borders has been going on for more than 30 years, writes Hartley Henderson, and has connections to the larger national movement to legalize online betting.
“With all the talk about changing laws for sports betting and online gambling in the United States, it's pertinent to note that New Jersey has been at the forefront demanding change at every step,” he writes.
The state had the chance to exempt itself from a 1992 law forbidding sports betting in the U.S. (the Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA, of 1992), but voters weren’t interested and nothing happened. Since then, there has been a movement in the state to join Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana as the only states that allow sports wagering. And that movement has had a positive impact on the bigger struggle to legalize gambling across the board throughout the country, including Internet gambling.