“There is no practical reason why Monmouth Park cannot start accepting wagers while that\u2019s happening \u2013 the sky won\u2019t fall, lions won\u2019t roam the streets, locusts won\u2019t ravage our fields,” Monmouth County’s State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon wrote in an official statement on the SenateNJ.com website.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cThe Governor is standing before two choices in this scenario: either he\u2019s the hero or he\u2019s the villain. There is simply no in-between. So far, he is choosing, inexplicably and disappointingly, to be the latter. I\u2019m holding out hope that he heads in the other direction and quickly realizes this was a blatantly wrong move,\u201d O’Scanlon posted before Murphy signed the bill into law late in the day on Monday.<\/p>\n
Racing Commission Pushes Back<\/strong><\/h2>\nBut a swift missive from Racing Commission Director Frank Zanzuccki put the kibosh on those plans, warning that any track that took bets before the governor signed the bill would “jeopardize its ability to become licensed to offer sports betting.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Meanwhile, regional journalists were getting itchy fingers. On Sunday, the victory of \u201cSports Betting,\u201d a horse, at the first race at Monmouth Park, prompted the header \u201cSports Betting came to Monmouth Park Sunday – sort of\u201d from the local Asbury Park Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMurphy felt to compelled to call a presser last Friday, in which he called for patience, reminded lawmakers he was a supporter of sports betting, and insisted he was not sitting on the bill.<\/p>\n
“I’m thrilled to sign Assembly Bill 4111 because it means that our casinos in Atlantic City and our racetracks throughout our state can attract new business and new fans, boosting their own long-term financial prospects. This is the right move for New Jersey and it will strengthen our economy,” he added Monday.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“Today, we’re finally making the dream of legalized sports betting a reality for New Jersey,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, as he signed the Garden State\u2019s sports betting bill into law on Monday afternoon. Murphy’s John Hancock finally put to bed a seven-year legal battle that culminated in the US Supreme Court\u2019s rejection of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":80402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,13,61,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Officially Legalizes Sports Betting<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n