Christie: NJ will have sports betting within two weeks of favorable SCOTUS ruling
Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports · December 4, 2017
Outgoing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie expressed renewed confidence Monday morning that his state’s sports betting push will succeed, and indicated that the activity would commence within two weeks of a favorable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in Christie v. NCAA.
“If we’re successful here, we could have bets being taken in New Jersey within two weeks of a decision (by the court),” Christie told a press gaggle on the front steps of the court following Monday morning’s oral arguments.
“We’re like Boy Scouts; we’re prepared. We’re prepared in New Jersey, and we’re ready to go,” he added.
Christie added that he was very pleased with both the arguments and the questions asked by the justices.
“I thought the hearing went great. The state of New Jersey was fortunate; we were represented by the best appellate advocate in america,” he said, referring to former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson.
“You all saw, in regard to today, why we hired him in the first place and why we have stuck with Mr. Olson all the way through for the last nearly five-plus years that we’ve been doing this,” Christie continued.
He referenced several justices’ questions about why Congress didn’t simply regulate sports betting in the first place in 1992 instead of farming the responsibility out to the states through the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited the activity nationwide, with exceptions made for the state of Nevada and the sports lotteries offered by a handful of other states.
“I believe there’s a very simple answer to that. They didn’t know how to regulate and exempt Nevada at the same time,” Christie reckoned.
“That’s all. Let’s be honest about it. They couldn’t get rid of sports gambling in Nevada, they didn’t know how to do it, so they tried this backdoor way of doing it,” he continued. “And they quite frankly it’s unfair to the other 49 states.”
In another bit of intriguing color, he explained that he has never been able to meet with the major sports leagues that opposed sports gambling to discuss the topic.
“I’ve always been willing to talk to the sports leagues. The sports leagues have never been willing to talk to me. They thought they were going to get rid of us a long time ago, but they never met me.”
Christie topped off the press conference by tying New Jersey’s struggle to the broader principles of federalism and states’ rights.
“This is the fear of every government; that we’ll be at the mercy of the federal government and that they’ll make us pay for it. It’s not right, and I believe here that it’s very clear that the federal government overstepped its bounds vis-a-vis states’ rights,” he explained, adding that this concern is what prompted nearly twenty other states to sign onto an amicus brief filed in support of New Jersey in the case.
Christie concluded:
“I think it violates the Tenth Amendment, and that’s why I think you saw so many governors join the [amicus brief] on this, because they understand that today’s sports gaming will be something else tomorrow.”
Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports · December 4, 2017
Outgoing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie expressed renewed confidence Monday morning that his state’s sports betting push will succeed, and indicated that the activity would commence within two weeks of a favorable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in Christie v. NCAA.
“If we’re successful here, we could have bets being taken in New Jersey within two weeks of a decision (by the court),” Christie told a press gaggle on the front steps of the court following Monday morning’s oral arguments.
“We’re like Boy Scouts; we’re prepared. We’re prepared in New Jersey, and we’re ready to go,” he added.
Christie added that he was very pleased with both the arguments and the questions asked by the justices.
“I thought the hearing went great. The state of New Jersey was fortunate; we were represented by the best appellate advocate in america,” he said, referring to former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson.
“You all saw, in regard to today, why we hired him in the first place and why we have stuck with Mr. Olson all the way through for the last nearly five-plus years that we’ve been doing this,” Christie continued.
He referenced several justices’ questions about why Congress didn’t simply regulate sports betting in the first place in 1992 instead of farming the responsibility out to the states through the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited the activity nationwide, with exceptions made for the state of Nevada and the sports lotteries offered by a handful of other states.
“I believe there’s a very simple answer to that. They didn’t know how to regulate and exempt Nevada at the same time,” Christie reckoned.
“That’s all. Let’s be honest about it. They couldn’t get rid of sports gambling in Nevada, they didn’t know how to do it, so they tried this backdoor way of doing it,” he continued. “And they quite frankly it’s unfair to the other 49 states.”
In another bit of intriguing color, he explained that he has never been able to meet with the major sports leagues that opposed sports gambling to discuss the topic.
“I’ve always been willing to talk to the sports leagues. The sports leagues have never been willing to talk to me. They thought they were going to get rid of us a long time ago, but they never met me.”
Christie topped off the press conference by tying New Jersey’s struggle to the broader principles of federalism and states’ rights.
“This is the fear of every government; that we’ll be at the mercy of the federal government and that they’ll make us pay for it. It’s not right, and I believe here that it’s very clear that the federal government overstepped its bounds vis-a-vis states’ rights,” he explained, adding that this concern is what prompted nearly twenty other states to sign onto an amicus brief filed in support of New Jersey in the case.
Christie concluded:
“I think it violates the Tenth Amendment, and that’s why I think you saw so many governors join the [amicus brief] on this, because they understand that today’s sports gaming will be something else tomorrow.”
