Lawsuit Sparks Interest in U.S. Sports Betting Legalization

3/31/2009 by Gaming Industry Media Staff

As the recession’s impact in the United States grows, it appears the interest in legalizing sports betting is also on the rise.

As the recession’s impact in the United States grows, it appears the interest in legalizing sports betting is also on the rise.

Last week a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association, the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, The Thoroughbred Breeders Association of New Jersey and the Standardbred Breeder & Owners Association of New Jersey to repeal a sports betting ban in New Jersey, according to Reuters.

Raymond Lesniak, a New Jersey state senator, also serves as a plaintiff for the case.

Currently, sports betting is legal in four states -- Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon -- but only offered in the first two.

Mr. Lesniak and the others are not alone in their quest. ESPN magazine reports that Jack Markell, governor of Delaware, will be introducing a proposal to legalize sports gambling east of the Mississippi River.

Joe Brennan, chief executive of the Interactive Media and Gaming Association, made an appearance on Fox Business to discuss the impending litigation as well as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, a law that prohibits expanding sports betting to other states.

“(The law) hasn’t been challenged in court,” Mr. Brennan said on Fox Business. “And let’s face it, over the course of the last ten years or so, the states have been flushed with money as is the federal government. But now that times are a little tight, states need to find new sources of revenue.”