Supreme Court to hear New Jersey's legalization of sports betting appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal by New Jersey in its bid to legalize sports gambling in the state.

New Jersey officials, led by Gov. Chris Christie, have long sought to bring sports betting to the state, twice passing legislation -- in 2012 and 2014 -- aimed at repealing laws to allowing legalized wagering at casinos and racetracks in the state.

However, the four major sports leagues in the United States, along with the NCAA, have filed suit against New Jersey to block implementation of the law.

Three lower courts have ruled against New Jersey, which appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

"In many ways I am a bit surprised, having had so many disappointments," gaming lobbyist William Pascrell III told northjersey.com of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the case. "But we've never gotten this far, so now at least we have a puncher's chance."

While oral arguments would likely not be heard until the fall, a ruling in New Jersey's favor could have sweeping ramifications for attempts to legalize gambling in other states. Nevada is the only state where sports betting is legal.

At the crux of the appeal is a 1992 federal law -- the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act -- that bans sports betting in the majority of the country.

"The court had to deal with this sooner or later, because eventually more states would have challenged PASPA," attorney Dan Wallach, a sports and gaming expert at Becker & Poliakoff in Florida, told Bloomberg News. "I believe the court took this case to decide whether PASPA is constitutional."