More On New Jersey Sports Wagering

Published: September 15, 2014 01:30 pm EDT

Officials with Monmouth Park have readjusted the timetable for the New Jersey Thoroughbred track to start offering sports wagering to its betting menu.

An article by The Daily Journal has cited Dennis Drazin, one of the track’s legal advisors, as saying that the raceway is now planning on offering wagering on professional sporting events starting on the last weekend in October.

Monmouth had initially planned on offering wagering on professional sports effective Sunday, September 14, but abandoned those plans. The September 14 date had been targeted earlier this month after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had issued an Attorney General’s Directive via acting Attorney General John Hoffman which allows sports wagering, without fear of criminal or civil liability, at New Jersey racetracks and casinos.

After news of the directive was announced, Jeff Gural, operator of the Meadowlands Racetrack, stated that the iconic East Rutherford harness raceway had no immediate plans to offer wagering on professional sports. Last week, Gural said that Monmouth, due to its eagerness to start offering sports wagering, was “going to implement sports betting and defend lawsuits by the sports teams if the governor signed."

Later, Gural went on to state that he was going to wait to see how the situation unfolded before sports wagering would be offered at the ‘Big M.”

"I’m not going to (the Meadowlands Racetrack isn’t) do anything until the courts rule,” Gural said. “And I don’t intend to be the guinea pig who is going to force that rule. I’m just watching and waiting.”

(With files from the The Daily Journal, The Bergen Record and nj.com)

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