iGaming Business – US District Judge Michael Shipp has delayed a decision over whether to allow legal sports betting in the US state of New Jersey in order to give both sides additional time to file more briefs.

According to the Associated Press news agency, the Judge was due to have published an opinion about the case yesterday (Monday) but will now instead hear oral arguments on October 31 before ruling on whether his 2013 order permits New Jersey to offer sports betting as long as it is not state-regulated.

The legal battle stretches back to 2011 when voters in New Jersey approved legalised sports gambling in a non-binding referendum.

Legislation followed by passing a sports wagering bill that Governor Chris Christie signed into law in 2012.

However, the four major professional sports league and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sued several months later in order to stop the effort, with Judge Shipp ruling in early 2013 that the federal law restricting sports betting in Nevada and three other states was constitutional.

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