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 In calling for the injunction, the NFL, NBA, Major League
Baseball and the NCAA are seeking to block enforcement of a law that
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed on Friday, which partially
repeals a ban on sports wagering in the state.
They claimed that the law violates the Professional and Amateur
Sports Protection Act, a 1992 federal ban on state-sponsored sports
betting.
"If the 2014 Sports Wagering Law is not declared unlawful... the
proliferation of state-sponsored and approved sports gambling in
Atlantic City casinos and at New Jersey racetracks will cause
immediate and irreparable harm" to the sports leagues," the lawsuit
said.
The new law allows sports betting at state-licensed casinos and
racetracks. Monmouth Park, a thoroughbred race track in Oceanport,
is planning to offer sports betting on Sunday.
 "In order to get an injunction, the leagues have to show that they
will be irreparably damaged if Monmouth race track starts taking
bets on sports sporting events on Sunday," New Jersey State Sen.
Raymond Lesniak told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"How can that be determined when Las Vegas is taking bets already,
every single day? The NFL has three games at Wembley Stadium (in
London) every year where people are betting right across the street
from the stadium."
Voters approved the idea of legal sports betting in 2011 and the
following year Christie signed a bill allowing the wagering.
But the sports leagues sued, saying it violated a federal ban on the
activity in all U.S. states except four.
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The federal court sided with the leagues, so the state appealed. But
the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, leaving the lower
court ban in place.
Lesniak believes it is up to the state to determine whether sports
gambling can occur and said the wagering will jump-start New
Jersey's sagging gaming revenues.
"I'm looking forward to placing the first legal bet in the state of
New Jersey on a sporting event next Sunday," Lesniak said.
In a statement Friday after signing the legislation Christie said:
"I am a strong proponent of legalized sports wagering in New Jersey.
But given earlier decisions by federal courts, it was critical that
we follow a correct and appropriate path to curtail new court
challenges and expensive litigation.
"I believe we have found that path in this bipartisan legislative
effort," he added.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; editing by Andrew Hay)
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