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Federal Judge Denies Partial Lift Of Sports Betting Ban In New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A federal judge ruled Friday night that New Jersey cannot partially lift a prohibition on sports betting in an effort to boost the state's struggling horse racing and casino industries.

The ruling by from U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp was the expected outcome, since the judge has ruled similarly in the past.

The state is expected to appeal to a higher court. In response to the ruling, New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) said the state will keep fighting in favor of sports betting.

"Not surprising Judge Shipp bought the leagues' position lock, stock and barrel and has stood in the way of bringing sports betting to New Jersey, but this is far from over," Lesniak said in the statement. "We will continue to pursue the effort to allow wagering on sporting events at casinos and racetracks so that New Jersey can reap the economic benefits that Las Vegas enjoys during the Super Bowl, the NCAA tournament and any number of weekends throughout the year. This is important for our entire state, but especially for Atlantic City where casino closings have resulted in thousands of job losses."

Lesniak noted in the release that New Jersey voters have already approved the plan for sports betting that the state has in mind.

New Jersey, in an attempt to resurrect the struggling casinos and race tracks, has persistently taken on a federal law that bars most states from authorizing betting on sports.
The state contended it did not want to license or authorize the betting. Instead, it was seeking to end a prohibition and that it would not regulate sports betting.

Shipp agreed with the NCAA and four major sports leagues that setting parameters such as limiting sports gambling to certain places amounts to regulation.

The idea of allowing sports betting in New Jersey appeared to be dead earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an earlier case. But then Gov. Chris Christie announced that the state would not enforce its prohibition on sports gambling. The Legislature followed with a repeal of its ban, and Christie signed that into law.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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