Sports gambling gets boost in the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme WASHINGTON, D.C. Court Monday gave its go ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. The justices voted 6-3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 law that forbade state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions. It made Nevada the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game. Many states have hoped their cut of legalized sports gambling could help solve budget problems. Stock prices for casino operators and equipment makers surged after the ruling was announced. The ruling, in a case from New Jersey, creates an opening to bring an activity out of the shadows that many Americans already see as a mainstream hobby. The American Gaming Association estimates Americans illegally wager about $150 billion on sports each year and one research firm estimated before the ruling that if the Supreme Court were to strike down the law, 32 states would likely offer sports betting within five years. Concerned questions will be raised at some point that betting could affect the outcome of games, all four major U.S. professional sports leagues, the NCAA and the federal government had urged the court to uphold the federal law.

In court, the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball argued New Jersey’s gambling expansion would hurt the integrity of their games. Outside court, however, leaders of all but the NFL have shown varying degrees of openness to legalized sports gambling. However, Major League Baseball issued a statement saying the Supreme Court ruling would have “profound effects” on the league and it would “continue to seek the proper protections for our sport.”