NCAA moves against online sports betting bill in court

A recent release has revealed the fact that there are efforts being made by the lawmakers in New Jersey for legally offering online sports betting in the state. This effort was made before as well, when it was the governor, who vetoed this idea at the very last second. Now, there is another hurdle in the way of the bill. A federal lawsuit has been filed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as well as several top professional sports leagues against the bill.

NCAA has declared that it is going to first dump the state out of the 5 championship events, which were supposed to take place in New Jersey. Then, it is going to make the move of looking for other venue to host the competitions.

During a press release, Mark Lewis, who is the executive vice president of NCAA for the Championships and Alliances, commented, “One of the missions of the NCAA is to make sure that integrity of our sports is maintained. Our aim is also to look after the well-being of our student athlete. Our motives are clearly reflected by our policies, which prohibit us to hosting the game in any state, where sports wagering is being offered. Remaining consistent with our beliefs and policies, New Jersey Laws might mean that we would no longer be able to host any championship game in the state.”

On the other hand, David Rebuck, who is the director of Gaming Enforcement’s state division, has said, “Gaming Enforcement Division is going to start processing the applications of any of the parties, which are interested in getting a license for online betting in the state. We are certain of the fact that there is not going to be any legal impediments. However, in case the court is going to find things differently to our view, we are going to consider whatever options, which are available to us.”

David said that the division is looking to proceed with its current set of plans. New Jersey officials have claimed that as much as USD 380-billion every year is punted on different sporting events. Pointing this fact in its court documents against the move made by different sports leagues, they have stated that such form of gambling has never damaged the integrity of the sports and it should remain the same in the time to come.

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