In over twenty states in the US sports betting is now firmly legal, as long as it is done via state-legalized sports books. Christie and his successor Phil Murphy waged a legal war against PASPA and finally, in 2018, the Supreme Court removed the PASPA from law, paving the way for legalized, state-regulated sports betting New Jersey style.Īlthough online sports betting had already been around in the US for some time before 2018, the sites allowing it were seated firmly on the border between what is legal and what is not. The four major pro sports leagues in the US plus the NCAA banded together to enforce the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act which forbade betting on sports in the US outside of Nevada. In 2011 the governor of New Jersey at the time – Chris Christie – announced plans to legalize NJ sports betting. As the United States continues to soften its stance on sports betting, people who are now suddenly free to place wagers on sporting contests really have one state to thank for this change in attitude … New Jersey.
