http://www.northjersey.com/news/opin..._bad_bet_.html

GAMBLING GOES hand in hand with running a racetrack, so it's not a shock that Monmouth Park plans to defy federal law and become the first in New Jersey to offer sports betting, probably in time for this fall's football season.


Dennis Drazin, the park's operator, is confident that neither the National Football League nor anyone else will get in the way. As he told The Record, "I'm not convinced that the NFL or the federal government will try and stop me."
That may be wishful thinking. Notwithstanding the huge amount of money bet illegally each year on pro football games, the NFL has steadfastly fought attempts to expand legalized sports gambling and we don't see why New Jersey would be an exception.


What's encouraging Drazin is a law signed by Governor Christie in May allowing sports betting at New Jersey racetracks and casinos despite the federal ban, which was championed by former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, a onetime star with the New York Knicks. Enacted in 1992, it banned sports betting with the exception of the four states that had it at the time, most famously Nevada and in limited form, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.


The governor's position is that New Jersey is going to institute sports betting and if anyone wants to stop the state from doing so they can take the matter up in court. Monmouth Park is so far the only track or casino to follow the aggressive path Christie has set forth. Others say, correctly in our view, that they want to see how any court challenges turn out before making a commitment to sports betting. Monmouth Park, of course, would be creating a sports book at its own risk and would have to deal with any legal challenge itself.


Potential court battles aside, we wish that both the governor and Drazin would stop seeing sports betting as a panacea.


If Congress scraps the 1992 ban, or if the courts overturn it, many states are going to want a piece of the action. Just like it no longer has a monopoly on East Coast casinos, New Jersey will hardly have a monopoly on sports gambling.


Moreover, we cannot ignore the importance of maintaining the integrity of the game. Make gambling on sporting events legal and it's bound to become more widespread. Every dropped pass, missed extra point or odd coaching decision would arouse suspicion. If the public is not convinced every game is played on a level playing field, pro sports could be irreparably harmed.


The state's willingness to defy federal law is also interesting. And it contrasts with the governor's reluctance to implement the state's medical marijuana program, partly because of concerns it runs afoul of federal law. One needs to pick one's battles. We understand that. But challenging the federal government and the NFL over the right of state residents to take the Jets and give four points is not a fight the state, nor any casinos or racetrack, should start.