Cato Institute and Pacific Legal Foundation Back New Jersey Sports Betting Bid

New Jersey received some welcome news from the prestigious Cato Institute and the Pacific Legal Foundation Thursday.  They filed an amicus brief in support of New Jersey’s bid to have the U.S. Supreme Court hear their protest of a 1992 federal law that is preventing the Garden State from offering sports betting to its citizens.

John Brennan of the Bergen Record pointed out that Fort Lauderdale sports law attorney Daniel L. Wallach first noticed the filing.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made one last ditch effort to get sports betting legalized in his state following previous losses in lower courts.

In its brief, the CATO Institute finds:

“In our constitutional structure, no state may be treated differently from any other state absent compelling circumstances…. The principle of equal sovereignty is an important aspect of federalism that requires the federal government to respect the equal dignity of the states by regulating them on equal terms. ”

Four other states, most notably Nevada, are permitted to allow sports betting.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com