On Monday (May 14), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law which had prohibited the majority of states from offering sports betting. Via the ruling, states have been given clear sailing from the top court to legalize sports wagering if they so please.
As an article by CNN explains, the ruling came after a 6-3 vote.
The court ruled that the law had violated constitutional principles which limited the federal government from imposing its control on state policy. The ruling went on to explain that the federal law forced states to prohibit the act of wagering on sports under state laws.
In the 6-3 opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that, "The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make. Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own."
Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law, told CNN that U.S. Congress could now make a move on the subject if it wishes to do so.
"Today's decision clears the way for all states to make their own decisions about legalizing sports betting, and in one fell swoop gets rid of Nevada's monopoly on the subject and the 1992 federal statute that had protected it," Vladeck said, adding, "the question now is whether Congress will leave the states to make their own choices, or will now try to enact some kind of federal regulation of sports betting.”
(With files from CNN)