[asudevil]

David Purdum [ARCHIVE]

ESPN.com | October 24, 2014
A U.S. District Judge granted a temporary restraining order to the NCAA, NFL and other major professional sports leagues Friday, crushing a New Jersey racetrack's hopes of offering legal sports betting this weekend.

After a wild week of rapid-fire legal filings, Judge Michael Shipp ruled the sports leagues would suffer irreparable harm if thoroughbred track Monmouth Park began accepting sports bets Sunday as planned.

It's a deflating blow for New Jersey, which is trying desperately to help its ailing gaming industry. Four Atlantic City casinos have closed, and thousands of workers have been laid off.

New Jersey believes Las Vegas-style sports betting would provide a spark and has been battling the leagues for more than two years.

But this case still isn't over. More hearings in district court and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals are expected. Both courts have previously ruled against New Jersey's sports betting efforts.

Before it's over, the Department of Justice also could weigh in. For now, though, the NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB have stopped bettors from legally wagering on their games in New Jersey.

The leagues filed suit Monday, asking for a permanent injunction and claiming New Jersey's latest sports betting legislation, the 2014 Sports Wagering Law, violates the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). PASPA prohibits states from "authorizing, operating, advertising, promoting or licensing" sports betting in all but four states: Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.