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Governor Chris Christie Signs Law Allowing Sports Betting In New Jersey

By Hayden Kane

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Governor Chris Christie signed a law this week that will allow for legalized sports betting in New Jersey.

When you think of Atlantic City, you think of gambling. In an effort to revitalize Atlantic City, among other things, Governor Chris Christie signed a law this week that will allow for legalized sports betting in New Jersey.

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Brent Johnson of NJ.com reports that steps taken this week to legalize sports betting, both at New Jersey casinos and horse tracks:

"The Republican governor made the move only one day after the state Assembly gave final legislative passage to the measure (S2460), which strikes provisions from New Jersey’s law books that ban sports wagering.“As I’ve said all along, I am a strong proponent of legalized sports wagering in New Jersey,” Christie said in a statement today. “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.”"

The timing of these measures is interesting as far as the way that sports gambling is regarded more generally. For so long, websites, articles, and talk shows felt the need to keep their distance from discussing gambling directly. If they were discussing point spreads, for example, they would offer qualifiers like, “this is only for entertainment purposes” or “not that we condone that kind of thing.”

That silly barrier is slowly being lifted, with outlets acknowledging and even embracing that sports betting is just part of the consumer experience for so many fans. For this law to be signed in that context does make it interesting and fitting, certainly when Atlantic City is part of the conversation.

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