New Jersey Sports Betting Law Spurs Move by N.C.A.A.
The N.C.A.A. is planning to relocate six championships from New Jersey, blaming a new state law there allowing sports betting on collegiate and professional games.
The association, which prohibits championships being held in states where gambling on single games is legal, said in a statement released late Monday that the competitions, all planned for next year, would be moved to other locations yet to be determined.
“Consistent with our policies and beliefs, the law in New Jersey requires that we no longer host championships in the state,” said Mark Lewis, the N.C.A.A.’s executive vice president for championships and alliances.
The N.C.A.A.’s decision was met with consternation by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who signed the law in January and has called it common-sense public policy. A spokesman for the governor, Michael Drewniak, said in a statement that the law prohibited betting on college games being played in the state or any college game involving a New Jersey team, regardless of where it was played.
“The N.C.A.A. wants to penalize New Jersey for responsibly legalizing what occurs illegally every day in every state and often with the participation of organized crime,” the spokesman said. “But the N.C.A.A. looks the other way for that? Ludicrous and hypocritical.”
Christie and proponents of the law have pressed forward with implementing it, despite opposition from the N.C.A.A. and the four major professional sports leagues. In August, the N.C.A.A., the N.F.L., Major League Baseball, the N.B.A. and the N.H.L. sued in federal court in an effort to block the state from allowing sports betting.
New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement said Monday it could begin issuing licenses for sports wagering by Jan. 9. The division said it had published sports wagering regulations, a step toward licensing.
“With the publication of these regulations, New Jersey ensures effective regulation and oversight of sports wagering, consistent with its longstanding nationwide reputation for maintaining integrity and instilling public confidence in gaming operations,” the division’s director, David Rebuck, said in a statement.
The N.C.A.A. defines single-game betting as a wager that involves a money line or a point spread, and the rule prohibiting championships from being held in states that allow it, it says, is in place to protect the integrity of the game and protect the well-being of athletes.
The championships slated to be relocated from New Jersey are the Division III wrestling regionals in Ewing; the Division I men’s and women’s swimming and diving regionals in Piscataway; the Division I women’s basketball regionals in Trenton; the Division III men’s volleyball championship in Hoboken; and the Division II and III women’s lacrosse championships in Montclair.