NJ 105.5 – New Jersey’s bid to legalize sports gambling has endured defeat after defeat in the courts, but one big winner has emerged, at taxpayer expense – the law firm hired to help Gov. Chris Christie defend a lawsuit filed by the four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA. The firm – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher – is the same one Christie hired, also with public money, to investigate the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal that is plaguing his administration. According to figures obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request, Gibson Dunn billed the state…

Gaming Intelligence – The Belgian National Lottery (Loterie Nationale) has reiterated that it is legally entitled to continue to offer its sports betting offering to customers in Belgium, despite the cancellation last week of a royal decree relating to the offering. Belgium’s Council of State last week cancelled the royal decree concerning the provision of sports betting services by the state-owned Loterie Nationale following a legal challenge by private licensed operators. FULL STORY BY SUBSCRIPTION

News Works – As the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament begins, New Jersey officials are talking about what legalized sports betting would mean to the state. State and Atlantic City officials said the city’s bars, restaurants, and casinos would be packed if sports wagering were allowed. Although voters approved legalization of sports betting in 2011 and Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation allowing it, implementation has been stalled because federal law permits sports wagering in only four states, including Delaware. At a news conference in the Irish Pub in Atlantic City Wednesday, state Sen. Jim Whelan said professional sports leagues are being…

The Daily Journal – By this time, New Jersey figured it would be raking in the bets on professional and college sports. But with its bid to offer legal sports betting stalled and relying on a long-shot appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the only madness this March will bring to New Jersey is anger that things did not turn out quite the way it had hoped. A handful of state legislators and Atlantic City’s mayor held a news conference Wednesday to tout the benefits of sports betting. But the only nine people who could really help them — the…

Huffington Post – Sports betting is booming. Reuters estimates one trillion dollars is bet annually on sports worldwide. Yes, trillion with a T! It’s estimated that half of adult Americans bet something on this year’s Super Bowl. Betting on sports has been big business for a long time, but what’s different recently is the modern media’s acceptance of this reality. Lotteries, poker rooms, and casinos are everywhere these days — resulting in a general waning of the taboo associated with gambling. So it makes sense that the ever expanding national sports networks (television and radio) have embraced the Vegas perspective…

Gaming Intelligence – The Israel Sports Betting Board (ISBB), the country’s sole licensed sports betting provider, has reported record income for 2013 with revenue up 7.3 per cent year-on-year. Total revenue rose to 1.92bn Israeli new shekels (NIS) or approximately €409m in 2013, with net profit climbing 1.2 per cent to NIS420m. The ISBB’s daily odds brand Winner remained the market-leading product with income up 3.8 per cent to NIS1.72bn, while its new horse race betting brand Racer, powered by La Française des Jeux subsidiaries Lotsys and LVS, generated income of NIS64m. SOURCE