Supreme Court asks Trump administration to weigh in on sports betting legalisation
As-yet unappointed Solicitor General asked to submit a brief on New Jersey sports betting case
The US Supreme Court has asked the Trump administration to weigh in on New Jersey’s push to legalize sports betting.
The court this morning issued a ‘call for the views of the Solicitor General’ (CVSG) before it decides whether to hear the case.
Its decision will be seen as good news for New Jersey, as CVSG generally means the Court has “at least some interest” in hearing the case, according to Christopher Soriano, a partner at Duane Morris.
“If the Court had no interest, they would have denied it outright today,” Soriano told EGR North America.
“The Solicitor General has great credibility with the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General’s views are often given a lot of weight by the Court.”
However with no-one yet nominated for the Solicitor General role, the future of the case is uncertain.
“Donald Trump has an immediate opportunity to impact the sports betting legalization debate with his Solicitor General choice,” Florida gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach said.
“The last time the Solicitor General weighed in at the Supreme Court, he asserted that “partial repeals” of state bans on sports betting would not violate PASPA.”
The timeline of the brief from the Solicitor General is also uncertain, with no deadline set for it to be submitted.
However Soriano said the Solicitor General would likely try and file the brief by May to allow the Court time to consider the petition before the term ends at the end of June.
The president of the American Gaming Association, Geoff Freeman tweeted: “We’re encouraged that the Supreme Court has expressed interest in problems posed by PASPA, the failed law fueling a $150bn illegal sports betting market.
“We’re optimistic the 25-year-old sports betting ban will be removed and sports fans will soon have a safe, legal way to engage in sports.”