Here is the Editorial from the July 5 newspaper to which he is writing about:
The Gloucester County Times
EDITORIAL
Gov. rolls dice
Sunday, July 05, 2009
We still agree with the sentiment as do most New Jerseyans, apparently but we want to be clear about who's picking up the tab.
Gov. Jon Corzine on Thursday announced that he's submitted a court motion to support a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the federal law that bans sports betting in New Jersey and 45 other states.
The suit against the 1992 ban was filed in March by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union but not officially on behalf of the Legislature. The effort is mainly funded by an Internet gaming group, with backing from horse racing groups. Federal law permits sports betting only in Nevada which, of course, has it Delaware, which is gearing up to have it, plus Montana and Oregon.
Polls show a majority of New Jersey residents want sports betting. Atlantic City's operating casinos would be natural sites for sports books, if the ban is overturned and New Jersey voters say "yes." It's unclear, though, how this form of legal gambling would help the state financially if 45 additional states also can have it.
Whether significant economic benefits from betting on games are real or imagined, the federal ban is everything that Lesniak, and now the governor, say it is: discriminatory, senseless, anti-competitive, etc.
It's good to see Corzine weigh in on this as governor, but the support brief he filed should be enough. Taxpayer money should not be wasted having expensive state Attorney General's Office lawyers arguing every wrinkle in the case. Again, we're scratching our heads as to why the casino owners, who stand to benefit most if the ban ended, are not taking the lead here.  |