The people of New Jersey are going to be able to bet on football and other games whether the federal government likes it or not, according to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Earlier this year the New Jersey governor signed a piece of legislation which would legalize all sports betting in New Jersey regardless of a federal ban which limits sports betting to four states: Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware. The new law in New Jersey would allow sports betting at local casinos and race tracks.
“We intend to go forward,” said Christie in a news conference on Thursday. “If someone wants to stop us, then let them try to stop us. We want to work with the casinos and horse racing industry to get it implemented.”
Sports betting in New Jersey is a historical problem as the legislature unsuccessfully sued the federal government back in 2009 in order to overturn the law. The governor at the time, Jon Corzine, a Democrat, said that, “the state could earn an extra $100 million from sports betting revenue.
According to casino executives, sports betting could also mean a significant boost in their revenue and in the number of customers and tourists visiting the state. In recent years, their profit has dropped substantially as a result of the economic downturn and New Jersey’s difficulty in attracting visitors from other states.
“Am I expecting that maybe there might be some legal action against us to try to prevent it? Yes. But that’s going to be their burden to prevent it,” said Christie. “That’s why we’re doing it the way we’re doing it.”
Christie’s message is loud and clear: if there’s a measure that will generate economic progress, it’s a done deal in New Jersey.
