Fed Court Nixes NJ Appeal In Sports Betting Case

A federal appeals court has dealt another blow to New Jersey's efforts to legalize sports gambling.

In a decision released Tuesday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld a judge's ruling that New Jersey's law allowing sports betting conflicts with federal law and shouldn't be implemented.

In the spring, a judge in Trenton had rejected New Jersey's constitutional challenge to the 1992 federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The law prohibits legal sports gambling in all but Nevada and three other states.

Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers pushed for legalized sports betting as a way to revive New Jersey's lagging casino industry. The NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA sued the state last year, saying gambling could harm the integrity of games.

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