State Sen. Ray Lesniak, the state’s biggest proponent of bringing sports betting (and online poker) to New Jersey gamblers, says the vote “sent Congress a message that its law which has allowed sports betting in Las Vegas, but not in Atlantic City, is unfair.” Lesniak plans to introduce the relevant legislation on Thursday, and he’s confident that he can fast-track the bill through both legislative houses before the current session ends Jan. 10, 2012. And with Gov. Chris Christie already on record as supporting the move, Lesniak need not fear the veto that killed his online poker bill in February.
Of course, state legislation is meaningless until federal courts agree to overturn PASPA, and sports leagues – the NFL, in particular – can be expected to fund the best constitutional lawyers that pigskin money can buy. Nevertheless, Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (IMEGA) president Joe Brennan Jr. told the Chicago Tribune that Tuesday’s vote leaves no doubt that the federal sports betting ban “conflicts with the expressed will of New Jersey’s voters,” which the courts “must resolve … in people’s favor, and do so quickly.” Others, like gaming lawyer I. Nelson Rose, think the process will take far longer. Regardless, Tuesday’s vote is a necessary step in the right direction.