The suit, which includes Major League Baseball, the NBA, NFL and NHL as plaintiffs, cites the 1992 federal law banning such gambling in all but four states. The sports entities seek a declaration from the court that New Jersey’s new law violates the 20-year-old Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that was sponsored by ex-Knick and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.
“Let the games begin,” said Lesniak of Tuesday’s suit. “From the start, we wanted our day in court to prove that the federal ban on sports wagering is unconstitutional. By moving forward with a law to legalize sports wagering in New Jersey – a law that was approved overwhelmingly by the voting public of New Jersey – we drew a line in the sand and dared the sports organizations to cross it. Their lawsuit today means they’ve played right into our hands, and now they have the burden of defending the constitutionality of an unfair sports wagering ban which gives four states in the country – and off-shore betting operators and organized crime – a monopoly to the detriment of everybody else.
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