New Jersey Awaits Murphy's Signature to Legalize Sports Betting

Legal sports betting in New Jersey may soon become a fact. After the scrapping of PASPA, spearheaded by the state in SCOTUS and costing slightly over $8 million in legal bills, the final goal is well within reach. All that is necessary at this point is for NJ Governor Phil Murphy to put his signature down and set everything in motion.
The governor has all the reason to endorse the activity after state polling has shown significant support for the industry. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate have too landed their unbiased support for the bill and legalization is on the cards.

Murphy’s Dithering Stance

Governor Murphy is unlikely to renege on the bill and turn himself into the most unliked politician in the state, but he might use it as a leverage to introduce changes to the state’s budget. His exact words were that he would closely review the bill, citing his desire to ensure that everything laid out by the regulation is fair and reasonable.
Leading sports leagues lobbies have also reached out to the governor in the wake of their flopped legislation that wanted to introduce a royalty fee, also referred to as an integrity fee, which would have gone for the sports bodies themselves. On Thursday, Murphy was contacted with a request to ensure that basic protections are put in place so that the security of the customers and integrity of sports may remain intact.

Monmouth Park is Where NJ Sports Betting Is At

The Monmouth Parkk is a race track that is slated to receive William Hill, if the company’s CEO is to be trusted. Similarly, New Jersey has been hoping to set its sports betting operations in this location at first. However, the track has said that the signature of Governor Murphy will be the decisive point which allows them to finally push ahead.
However, it’s ultimately up to Monmouth Park whether they want to host the state’s sports betting operations. Dennis Drazin from Monmouth Park has spoken to Asbury Park Press, explaining that the facility would hesitate to commence sports betting activities prior to Murphy’s go-ahead. Short of that, there is nothing that dissuades Monmouth Park from action.
While New Jersey managed to stay at the very point of the spear in defeating PASPA, Delaware has been the first state to legalize sports betting activities across the United States on a state level.

Elsewhere in the United States

William Hill may have been the first bookmaker to obtain a license in the United States from overseas, but another behemoth, bet365 is now canvassing for legal sports betting in New York. News has surfaced that the operator has agreed to pay $18,000 to lobbyist company Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies so that the state may start addressing the issue. Bet365 may be eyeing New York as the first state where it wants to operate, and probably beat rivals there. Meanwhile, it would be interesting to see if bet365 and other established gaming firms will seek to dabble their toe in Nevada and New Jersey.