Chris Christie vetoes New Jersey Sports Betting Bill

After failing to gain federal approval for legal sports betting, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak drafted his own bill that would have brought sports wagering to the Garden State. However, this effort is now dead after Governor Chris Christie vetoed the controversial piece of legislation.

Christie had until Monday to veto, approve or ignore Lesniak’s bill, with the latter two options opening the door for legal sports betting. However, he chose to act early by vetoing the matter and complying with federal court rulings.

After issuing his veto, the New Jersey Governor called the legislation “a novel attempt to circumvent the Third Circuit court’s ruling” that federal law prevents states from legalizing sports betting. Under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the activity is illegal in every state except for Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon.

Lesniak had previously pointed out Nevada by saying, “New Jersey has a right to what Las Vegas has.” The state senator also brought up the argument that the federal government stood by while Colorado and Washington legalized recreational marijuana use. So he felt as if the US government would do the same if New Jersey legalized sports betting on their own.

But Christie disagreed, citing that he doesn’t going against the federal government. “Ignoring federal law, rather than working to reform federal standards, is counter to our democratic traditions and inconsistent with the Constitutional values I have sworn to defend and protect,” he said.

Also disagreeing with Lesniak’s attempts to legalize sports betting in New Jersey are the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA. These four professional sports leagues and collegiate athletic association have staunchly opposed the Garden State’s efforts for sports wagering. Their key argument is that New Jersey has professional sports franchises and major college teams play within state lines, so allowing sports betting could lead to corruption.

Nevada, on the other hand, has no professional sports franchises in their state. They do have major college teams, however, this was a non-issue when they were grandfathered into the PASPA law of 1992. Given that neither the federal courts nor Christie agree with going ahead with sports betting, it seems as if this matter is officially over for the time being.