NCAA, pro leagues 'staring defeat in the face' as New Jersey primes sports betting
The NCAA and professional sports leagues have only two weeks to respond to the state of New Jersey's latest challenge in its fight to legalize sports betting.
New Jersey State Sen. Raymond Lesniak told ESPN that the NCAA, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL are "staring defeat in the face," and that "there's no way they're going to win in court."
Lesniak thinks the leagues will not fight Governor Chris Christie's latest challenge to decriminalize sports gambling within racetracks and casinos. On Monday, New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman also issued a directive that instructed law enforcement to refrain from prosecuting sports betting operations at racetracks and casinos.
A hearing has been set for Oct. 6 and, at least for now, sports gambling at racetracks and casinos "essentially does not violate New Jersey state law."
Just four U.S. states are currently allowed to offer forms of state-sponsored sports betting: Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.
ESPN noted that both the NCAA and MLB are currently working on responses, while the NFL, NBA and NHL have all declined to comment. The NBA's commissioner, Adam Silver, has said on record that his league "will ultimately participate" in legalized sports betting.
"Ultimately, before the judge rules, I expect we will have a settlement in hand," said Lesniak, referring to a potential landmark agreement that would "open doors for widespread legalization of sports betting," according to ESPN.
On Thursday, New Jersey State Sen. Jennifer Beck said she expects several leagues to challenge the rulings.