New Jersey racetrack sues NBA, NHL for lost gambling revenue

The New Jersey-based Monmouth Park Racetrack is suing some sports leagues in the United States over allegations that they have been working against sports betting.

The lawsuit filed in May, by the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NJTHA) in the US District Court of New Jersey, claimed it has lost about $130 million in revenue due to the activities of the NCAA, MLB, NFL and the NHL.

“The leagues’ actions nearly put Monmouth Park out of business, inflicted significant financial and emotional hardship on hundreds of innocent Monmouth Park workers, and jeopardized the continued viability of New Jersey’s entire equine industry,” the Monmouth Park submission reads.

Lawyers for the leagues have attempted to quash the case as “meritless, if not frivolous” but the relentless NJTHA believes they have a case to answer.

The NJTHA have argued this week that the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) by the US Supreme Court in May is adequate proof that the sports leagues have, since 2014, been working against Monmouth Park to prevent sports betting.

According to the NJTHA, it collaborated with William Hill to establish a sportsbook at Monmouth Park in 2014; however, the league filed a restraining order to prevent them from launching the operation. The leagues were therefore asked to put up a bond of $3.4 million to absorb the lost cost in the event the case did not proceed.

Therefore, after the Supreme Court ruling, Monmouth is requesting the leagues cough up the $3.4 million and an additional $127 million it paid during the legal proceedings.

“When you add up the numbers from lost earnings since 2014 it comes to $150 million to $200 million, and it may be more,” The President of NJTHA, Dennis Drazin, said.

“The leagues had a choice to either abandon their request for an injunction against the NJTHA or run the risk of paying damages if the injunction proved to be improvidently granted,” NJTHA said in its submission.

“In essence, the leagues and their surety made a $3.4 million bet and confirmed it in a contract that the injunction would be sustained.”