Sports Gambling Laws Makes Progress In New Jersey

Gambling News - February 9th, 2010 - Written By Glen

For sports gamblers, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act has been a thorn in their side. The inability to legally gamble on sports in a land based enterprise has been a reality since 1992, and even before this with the Wire Act. USA Online Gambling in the form of sports betting sites had been solace for many players, but some states had brought about one form of legal sports gambling or another. New Jersey has recently announced support for sports gambling in the state.

A State Senate committee has announced, on Monday, their support for an amendment that would open the possibility for sports gambling at Atlantic City casinos and racetracks around the state.

Unfortunately, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act imposed a federal ban on sports gambling outside of the states that had a sports gambling scheme in the past, most notably Oregon, Montana, Nevada, and Delaware. Even online sports gambling has encountered difficulty, the recent push toward legal online gambling, as well as expanded land gambling, may help repeal the PASPA.

The amendment, in its current form, would allow limited sports betting to take place in the race tracks. These bets would only take place during live races, creating a compromise that the committee feels would be a fair trade for the sports betting scheme they have proposed, a "reasonable compromise" according to the Committee's Chairman, James Whelan.

Atlantic City has been crushed by surrounding competition, and many officials in the state feel that drastic measures need to be taken in order to save the floundering gambling economy. With one casino's bankruptcy already completed and the possibility of several more to come, it may just be sports gambling that saves the state.

Northjersey.com contributed to this Article.