Today is a monumental day for sports fans and gambling enthusiasts alike, as the Supreme Court has made it legal to bet on sporting events in the U.S. According to ESPN, the court ruled six-to-three in favor of doing away with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 law that prohibited sports gambling. Previously, Nevada was the only state allowed to wager on such events.
Individual states will now determine whether or not to make sports gambling legal, as New Jersey is expected to be the first to offer legalized sports betting, while Delaware, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are likely to follow shortly thereafter.
"Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own," the court noted. "Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution. PASPA is not."
Following the news from the Supreme Court, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who has been fighting for legalization for some time, took to Twitter to express his jubilation.
The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball had all previously been against the legalization.
"We remain in favor of a federal framework that would provide a uniform approach to sports gambling in states that choose to permit it, but we will remain active in ongoing discussions with state legislatures," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Regardless of the particulars of any future sports betting law, the integrity of our game remains our highest priority."
The MLB then had this to say regarding the ruling: "Our most important priority is protecting the integrity of our games. We will continue to support legislation that creates air-tight coordination and partnerships between the state, the casino operators and the governing bodies in sports toward that goal."
And lastly, the NFL added, "The NFL's long-standing and unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of our game remains absolute. Congress has long-recognized the potential harms posed by sports betting to the integrity of sporting contests and the public confidence in these events. Given that history, we intend to call on Congress again, this time to enact a core regulatory framework for legalized sports betting. We also will work closely with our clubs to ensure that any state efforts that move forward in the meantime protect our fans and the integrity of our game."
ESPN also points out that the United States joins the likes of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France, who have all legalized sports betting.
For more on the game-changing decision, follow here.
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