Policy

NJ Legalized Online Betting Faces Challenge from Sports Leagues

What's the point of sports without betting?

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The major sports leagues should know by Friday whether they'll be allowed to challenge New Jersey's pending legalization of sports betting in court.

Judge Michael A. Shipp said he'll issue a written ruling by Friday on whether the four major professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have standing to sue New Jersey over its implementation of sports betting.

A 20-year-old federal law currently bans sports betting in all but four states, but a law signed in January by Gov. Chris Christie would defy that ban. State officials see legalized sports betting as a critical potential revenue stream for the state's struggling gaming and horse racing industries.