In New Jersey, it’s fair to refer to sports betting as the industry that never sleeps- there’s always something new going on including a major lawsuit everyone has been talking about for the last 7 years.
While we’ve been in lockdown, companies like DraftKings have gone public and new ways to gamble have been released. The pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on the community of course, yet the people in the sports betting world have shown their fierce adaptability and ability to create content for customers under pressure.
There’s been plenty of news to keep up with, too. One particular story that’s stood out to us in recent days has been the update on the Monmouth Park Racetrack case which we’ve covered before here, here and here. This case started in 2014, and has been capturing the attention of the press ever since.
Of course, any case involving sports betting is going to be hot news this year. Sports betting has virtually exploded in recent years, with more and more people moving to legalize it and get it accepted all around the world. Here at NJ Gambling Fun, sports betting is one of our specialties, which is why this case was so interesting to us.
Today, we’ll be diving into the case in more depth as there was a very recent update on it from the Supreme Court. We’ll be breaking down the essential elements of the case, looking at both sides of it, and examining the recent development closely.
What we cover
How did we get here?
To make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s look at what this lawsuit is about.
As this article notes, there was a temporary restraining order brought on by professional sports leagues in New Jersey to block Monmouth Park Racetrack from sports betting back in 2014. This was enforced by a judge, of course, and had a very detrimental effect on the race track in the following years.
Following on from this, the major sports leagues put up the required bond in 2014. After this, a lawsuit on behalf of the Monmouth Park Racetrack was filed by the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association that claimed that the move back in 2014 was done in bad faith. This lawsuit started going through the motions in 2018.
After this, an appeal was made in March by the professional sports leagues who argued that the decision from the legal system to side with the NJTHA was incorrect, and that it contradicted previous decisions from the Supreme Court.
Following on from this, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Horsemen had been wrongfully enjoined in the case, which takes us up to the recent move where the Supreme Court was involved in order to sort out the next step and basically kicked the lawsuit up the chain of command.
It has certainly been a confusing case to follow, with many different opinions and perspectives coming into play. The fact that sports bettors are back in court so soon after the federal ban on sports betting was lifted is quite shocking, and based on the decisions in this case, it’s likely that the next decision will attract quite a lot of attention.
What has the Supreme Court said about this matter?
When the Supreme Court was presented with this appeal, they declined to hear it. This was announced recently, and comes as little surprise. There are not many cases in the modern age that make it all the way to the Supreme Court without receiving a decision from another court beforehand or being sent packing overall.
What happens next?
Now that the Supreme Court has declined to hear the lawsuit appeal, the case will be moving back to the federal court in New Jersey. Here, a judge will determine a specific sum that the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Monmouth Park Racetrack will receive, on account of them being wrongfully enjoined in the case.
This is a case that we’ve personally found incredibly captivating, here at NJ Gambling Fun, as we feel it speaks volumes on the current state of affairs in the sports betting world. We will be following this case with great interest as it progresses further, as there are sure to be some interesting developments and opinions online.
To sum up
As you can see, this has been an intense case so far, and we’re sure that this is not the last time that we will be writing about it. It’s full of industry giants and important points that need to be made about the state of the sports betting community.
Many onlookers were not surprised by the fact that the Supreme Court did not want to hear the case. There are not many cases that make it far enough that the Supreme Judges wish to hear about it, so it makes sense that the case is going back to the federal court. We’re sure to hear more updates about the case as it moves further along the judicial process.
The amount that the judge determines relevant in the New Jersey federal court will certainly be interesting to see. There are so many conflicting opinions online and in the media about this case that it is hard to make heads or tails of where it will end up. If you’re interested in this case, we would recommend staying active online in the coming months to keep tabs on it.
Want to read more articles like this? Looking to learn more about the gambling and betting worlds as a whole? Our writing team has got you covered. Here at NJ Gambling Fun, we’re always putting out new articles to help keep our audience ahead of the curve. To get started, we would recommend taking a look at this piece on the best online casinos in New Jersey.