WASHINGTON — In advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl, when an estimated $4.7 billion will be wagered, Reps. Frank LoBiondo and Frank Pallone Jr. introduced legislation Wednesday to let New Jersey offer legal sports betting.
The lawmakers, as they did two years ago, offered different measures to achieve the goal that the state sought since its 2011 referendum.
LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.) would give all states four years to decide whether they wanted to legalize sports betting, while Pallone (D-6th Dist.) simply would allow New Jersey to join Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon, which already allow such wagering.
“Sports betting is already happening across our state and across the country, but instead of being appropriately overseen and raising needed revenue for our casinos, racetracks, businesses, and the state, these bets are placed through illegal enterprises,” Pallone said. “It is time to bring this activity out of the shadows.”
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The American Gaming Association estimated that $4.7 billion will be bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl LI matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, 97 percent of it illegally.
“As we mark the 25th anniversary of a failed law, it’s time for Washington to get out of the way and lift the federal prohibition that pushes sports fans to a rapidly growing illegal betting market,” said Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the Washington-based casino industry trade group whose members include Caesars Entertainment and Borgata owner MGM Resorts International.
New Jersey’s efforts to allow its casinos and racetracks to offer sports betting has run afoul of a 1992 law prohibiting sports betting in most states. No matter how many different ways state officials tried to get around the prohibition, they have been stymied by the courts, most recently in August by the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the four major professional sports leagues — Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League — have repeatedly sued to stop the state, even as some of the leagues partner with daily fantasy sports operations.
The state’s horse racing industry appealed the August decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which last month asked the U.S. solicitor general to weigh in before deciding whether to hear the case.
LoBiondo sald legalized sports betting could be a boon to Atlantic City, still reeling from the loss of five casinos.
“Each year competition from neighboring states and the proliferation of off-the-books betting grows, leaving Atlantic City’s gaming operations at a disadvantage,” LoBiondo said. “I strongly believe that sports-betting can help give our famed resort town a hand up, providing yet another Vevobahis unique option for patrons in addition to the quality entertainment, dining, shopping and beaches.”
The gaming association’s chief executive, Geoff Freeman, expressed optimism in December that the drive for legalized sports betting will find support in the White House, whose current occupant, President Donald Trump formerly owned three Atlantic City casinos.
But Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), testified in January that he would revisit a U.S. Justice Department ruling that paved the way for New Jersey-based casinos to offer online gambling to state residents.
Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, an opponent of online gambling, and his wife contributed $20 million to a super political action committee supporting Trump and $55 million to super PACs backing Senate and House Republicans.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
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