Pallone, LoBiondo Statement on District Court Ruling to Uphold Federal Law Prohibiting Sports Betting in NJ
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) issued the following statement today on the District Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), which is the federal law that prohibits New Jersey from moving forward with sports betting:
“The District Court’s decision to stop New Jersey from moving forward with legalized sports betting is unfortunate and disappointing. We continue to believe that New Jersey should be given the same opportunity that other states have already been given with regards to gaming in their states and that the federal government should not stand in the way. Legalization of sports betting would be beneficial to New Jersey’s economy and crack down on criminal enterprises.”
“This is not the end of the road, and we look forward to the state’s appeal to the higher court. We will also continue to lead the charge for congressional action to allow sports betting in New Jersey through legislation we have introduced.”
The Congressmen have introduced two bills in the 113th Congress that that would provide for changes in the law that would allow sports gaming in New Jersey. H.R. 626 (Pallone) would exempt New Jersey from current federal law and H.R. 625 (LoBiondo) opens a window in which all states can enact a law providing for sports gambling in their state until January 1, 2017. Both lawmakers are again cosponsoring the other’s legislation.