Supreme Court Blocks Jersey Sports Betting Hopes

Christie led the legal effort against gambling restrictions.

A loss for Gov. Chris Christie: The Supreme Court won’t allow New Jersey to begin to offering gambling on sports, a key plank in his plan to revive Atlantic City’s sagging gaming industry.

(Another plank in that plan? Investing heavily in the Revel. It’s not really Christie’s week).

Newsworks reports: “The justices did not comment Monday in letting stand lower court rulings that struck down New Jersey’s sports betting law because it conflicts with a federal law that allows state-sanctioned sports gambling only in Nevada and three other states.”

As the Star-Ledger noted in February, Jersey’s appeal to the Supreme Court “a last-ditch effort by the governor and lawmakers. They have been rebuffed at every turn, losing three times in federal court to the NCAA and the nation’s professional sports leagues, which originally brought the high-profile case.”

Now: No more ditches. The dream is over.