Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case about New Jersey's sports betting law, a case that could have widespread implications across the country.
Back in 2011, New Jersey voters approved a plan to partially repeal the state's sports betting prohibition, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed two laws in recent years to work around the federal ban. Now the Supreme Court is debating whether to allow legal sports betting and horse racing, which could affect a national prohibition on sports betting outside of Nevada. A decision is expected in June.
So what does this mean for Massachusetts?
Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Stephen Crosby told WGBH News he hopes the state Legislature will approve sports betting, if the Supreme Court case comes down on the side of legalization.
"This is a fanatic sports community, and nobody knows for sure, but the illegal sports betting in Massachusetts is very high, everybody thinks," Crosby said during an interview with Boston Public Radio Tuesday. "The logic would be, hey, there's already a lot of sports betting, it's all illegal, now we could make it legal and we could regulate it, and we could tax it, and the Legislature will have to decide whether they want to just bite the bullet and legalize what's already happening and take a piece of the action, or not."
Crosby says the gaming commission plans to write a "white paper," or report, for the state Legislature in the next month to provide facts and potential issues.
"Massachusetts, it's not ready to go," Crosby said. "No matter what the Supreme Court does, it will still be illegal in Massachusetts, unless the Legislature does make it legal and determines who should regulate it and what tax rate and so forth."
To hear the full interview, click on the audio player above.
