New Jersey District Judge, Michael Shipp, has flip-flopped on his original decision to allow betting, in the state of New Jersey, on sports such as tennis, MMA fighting, and soccer, after issuing an addendum that places them all under the Temporary restraining Order (TRO) that he issued on Friday.
Do you know what jai alai is?
That’s okay, neither did I until this morning.
It’s a sport that looks like a cross between lacrosse, tennis and squash. More importantly, it’s the only sport—that doesn’t include animals—which you can bet on in the state of New Jersey.
I know.
The excitement is too much to bear.
Jai alai remains the only way that punters can get their rocks off, after a New Jersey District Judge, Michael Shipp, built everyone up into a frenzy, before dousing them all in cold water.
On Friday, the judge imposed a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing Monmouth Park from offering sports betting after the Christie Administration signed the latest sports betting bill on the same day. The operators of Monmouth Park racetrack were so excited that they intended to open up their sportsbook for the weekend’s action.
The legal teams of the NFL/NCAA/NBA/MLB/NHL got their heads together and successfully argued that if Monmouth Park was to start allowing people to wager on the weekend games, then people would turn into zombies and start eating each other alive. A zombie apocalypse was averted after the Judge issued the TRO.
“Hang on? What about the sporting federations that have not complained?” Came the cry from a made up voice in my head.
It seems Ron Riccio, the lawyer representing the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, was also thinking the same thing when he directly asked the Judge if the TRO applied to all sports, or just the plaintiffs?
“Just the plaintiffs,” came the reply.
Sports betting at Monmouth Park was back on the cards. That was until Monday, when the judge decided to issue an addendum stating that betting on “other sports” was also covered under the TRO.
Back to the drawing board.
“He contorted the law to find irreparable harm. It wasn’t there, it isn’t there, but he’s the judge and our only remedy to get him to change his mind is an appeal,” Senator Ray Lesniak told NJ.com. “I’m very confident that if Judge Shipp continues in the direction that he has that he’ll be overturned on appeal by the Third Circuit of Appeals. I’m not going away on this.”
That appeal could take up to six months to be heard.
Oh well.
There is always jai alai.
