The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia denied a request for rehearing by Gov. Chris Christie, the leaders of the state Legislature and the owners of Monmouth Park Racetrack. None of the ten judges to consider the request voted in favor of it.
The ruling, delivered late Friday, leaves Christie with just one option: Appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state will have 90 days to do so. While there are no guarantees the high court will take the case, Christie and lawyers on both sides of the legal spectacle have agreed it’s a matter best left to the nation’s top justices.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed last year by the NCAA and the nation’s four major sports leagues. The leagues pointed out that the U.S. Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 prohibits states from legalizing or regulating sports betting, and they said New Jersey’s attempt to do so would hurt sports in America.
