US court rules against New Jersey in sports-betting case

US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled that a 2014 law that legalised sports-betting at New Jersey racetracks and casinos violates the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

PASPA placed a federal ban on sports betting in the US with the exception of state-sponsored wagering in Nevada and sports lotteries in Oregon and Delaware.

The 2014 law, which prohibited wagering on New Jersey college team competitions, was blocked by the US District Court, after the National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball filed suit against the law.

The state of New Jersey appealed against the US District Court’s ruling.

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said in its ruling: “The 2014 law violates PASPA because it authorises by law sports gambling. We will affirm.”