New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been fighting for legalized sports betting in his home state for many years now, and after the signing of a recent bill it looked like he finally made it happen A federal judge however blocked this push on Friday, another huge step in the wrong direction for the state that’s struggling to revive it’s gambling industry.
U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp issued a temporarily restraining order against New Jersey, as the Wall Street Journal reports, asked for by the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association. This restraining order however does not mean that the bill was rejected, it’s only a way of stalling for the aforementioned organizations.
Christie remained positive about the future of sports betting, even now that it looks like the decision is going to federal court. The state has previously lost court battles to overturn a federal law with regards to sports betting, but the Gov. remains positive.
Atlantic City’s revenue has dropped from more than $5 billion to less than $3 billion since 2006 and online betting revenue has also turned out to be less profitable than it seemed. Because of this Christie’s efforts to make sports betting legal could make a huge difference in the state’s economic situation. New Jersey’s situated in one of the most densely populated areas in the United States and the popularity of sports could turn this into a billion dollar industry.