Justices to review N.J. bid for legal sports betting
WASHINGTON » The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to take up New Jersey’s bid to allow sports betting at its casinos and racetracks, a case that could lead other states to seek a share of the lucrative market.
The justices will review a lower court ruling against the state, which is hoping to capture some of the estimated $150 billion that is illegally wagered on sports each year.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and supporters in the state Legislature have tried for years to legalize sports gambling to bolster the state’s casino and horse racing industries. The casino industry, after a period of job losses and closings, has lately been doing better.
Christie said Tuesday in Trenton at an unrelated event that he was encouraged by the court’s decision to take the case up.
“We’re not declaring victory but at least we’re in the game and that’s where we want to be,” Christie said.
New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat who has led the state’s effort to legalize sports gambling, said a win for the state would give an additional boost to casinos.
“Atlantic City is going to be packed when we win this case,” said Lesniak, who first introduced legislation to overturn the ban in 2009. “Sports betting will lead to people staying for several days, not just playing a few hours and going home. During football season, the NCAA tournament, the World Cup, people will be flocking to Atlantic City to bet on them.”
The case will be argued in the fall. Daniel Wallach, an attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and an expert in sports law, said the case could lead to a nationwide repeal of the federal sports betting ban.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the New Jersey law last year, ruling that the law violated the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 that forbids state-authorized sports gambling.
Doping: WADA allows Russian doping agency to run testing
KAZAN, RUSSIA » The World Anti-Doping Agency has partly restored drug-testing duties to the Russian anti-doping agency.
RUSADA was suspended in 2015 when its staff was accused of helping to cover up drug use, but will now have wide-ranging authority over testing.
After intense negotiations and sweeping personnel changes at the Russian agency, WADA said it has now allowed RUSADA to “plan and coordinate” drug testing under the supervision of British agency UKAD, which has overseen testing in Russia during the national anti-doping body’s suspension.
“Resumption of testing represents an important step forward in rebuilding antidoping in Russia,” WADA president Craig Reedie said. “We strongly encourage Russia to continue their efforts in the interest of clean athletes worldwide.”
Tennis: Serena’s latest shot: pregnant and nude on cover
NEW YORK » Serena Williams is showing off her pregnancy with a nude photo on the cover of the August issue of Vanity Fair.
The tennis superstar is seen in profile with her right arm covering her breasts and her pregnant stomach prominently on display. The magazine unveiled the cover Tuesday.
Serena announced her pregnancy with Reddit co-founder Alexis Olhanian in April. The magazine reports the couple will be married in the fall after the baby is born. Williams tells the magazine she “did a double take” and her heart “dropped” when she saw a positive test because it came just before the Australian Open, which she ended up winning. EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND » Novak Djokovic completed just one game of his secondround match against Vasek Pospisil at the Eastbourne International before rain washed out the day’s play at the Wimbledon warmup event on Tuesday.
In the women’s tournament, secondseeded Simona Halep and seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova both were losing 2-1, to Ying-Ying Duan and Mona Barthel respectively, when the rain started.
College basketball: Indiana coach cashes in with $24 million deal
INDIANAPOLIS » Archie Miller is cashing in on one of college basketball’s top-paying jobs. The new Indiana coach’s seven-year deal is worth $24 million and it could go significantly higher with performance bonuses.
School officials released details of Miller’s new deal Tuesday, three months after he took the job following his run at Dayton. Miller’s annual average of $3.35 million through the 2023-24 season is slightly more than Tom Crean earned in guaranteed money during his final season as the Hoosiers’ coach.