http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/07/3272526/njs-christie-committed-to-sports.html
BY DAVID PORTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEWARK, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie says he’ll take the fight to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.
Even after a recent federal court defeat, Christie said Thursday he plans to continue his push for sports betting in his state.
Last month, a federal judge in Trenton upheld a 1992 law that bans sports gambling in New Jersey and 45 other states. Only Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware are exempt. The four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA have sued to stop New Jersey’s efforts.
“I’m appealing it, so if they (the NCAA) think I’ve changed my mind, they’re wrong. I’ll appeal it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if I can, and will,” Christie said after visiting a group home in Robbinsville for people with disabilities.
The state must first appeal the judge’s ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A defeat there would leave the Supreme Court as the last legal avenue, though there is also the option of amending the 1992 law in Congress. Two New Jersey congressmen have proposed bills that would give New Jersey and other states the chance to approve legal sports betting.