Monmouth Park won a significant legal victory over the US sports leagues that blocked the state’s pursuit of legal sports betting.
A three-judge panel of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday voted in favor of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s appeal of a US District Court ruling. That ruling barred NJTHA from collecting financial damages from the sports leagues that blocked New Jersey’s quest for legal wagering.
NJTHA operates Monmouth Park, which filed suit against Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and the National Collegiate Athletics Association after the US Supreme Court overturned the federal sports betting ban in May 2018.
A 2019 Rutgers University white paper demonstrated that New Jersey racehorse owners, trainers, and breeders are still unable to compete with purse structures and breeder incentive programs that exist in neighboring states where racing is supported by alternative gaming.
NJTHA argued that the leagues’ multi-year obstructionism against New Jersey’s pursuit of legal betting robbed the track of $150 million in lost revenue. In the 15 months since the federal ban was overturned, Monmouth Park has generated sports betting revenue of $28 million.
-HRI Staff
