Sports Betting

Millions of New Jerseyans will watch Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, but some won't be enjoying the action. They'll be biting their nails over bets they placed on the game.

The state may have turned a corner in the legal battle to bring sports betting to casinos and racetracks.

New Jersey adults are divided on the idea of legalizing sports betting at existing casinos and racetracks in the Garden State, but a clear majority is opposed to allowing casinos outside of Atlantic City, according to the latest statewide poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind and released Thursday.

New Jersey voters are evenly divided when asked about Gov. Chris Christie's overall job performance, despite giving him low ratings in several key areas. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday also revealed Garden State residents are opposed to a gas tax increase by a wide margin.

Laws and rules prohibiting sports betting at New Jersey's casinos and racetracks would be partially repealed under a bill approved Oct. 14 by the state Senate. The full Assembly is scheduled to vote on it Thursday.

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie issued a directive telling Garden State casinos and racetracks that sports betting will no longer be considered illegal, and operations could be set up if desired. So far, however, only Monmouth Park has indicated it has any interest in the practice.

Despite a move from the U.S. Supreme Court that reinforces the federal ban on sports betting in New Jersey, a state lawmaker claims the fight isn't over "until the fat lady sings."

New Jersey has already spent nearly $2.5 million on attorneys' fees in its fight to legalize sports betting at casinos and racetracks in the Garden State. That figure has some critics balking, but the influential state lawmaker who has been spearheading the sports wagering effort calls the expenditure an investment.

New Jersey is doubling down on an appeals court that recently ruled against the state's push for sports betting.

A three-member federal Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier ruling saying that the Garden State's sports betting law stands in violation of federal statute.