The American Gaming Association (AGA) is bringing in someone with a modicum of sports betting knowledge to take on prediction markets offering sports contracts: former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
As governor, Christie spearheaded the effort to bring Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association to the U.S. Supreme Court. It ruled to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), paving the way for states to choose whether to offer legal sports betting.
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“He works with us as a strategic advisor on sports contracts,” said Dara Cohen, AGA’s senior director of strategic communications and media relations. casino report. “He brings extensive expertise and a strong background in the legal framework of state and tribal authority.”
Christie appeared on CNBC over the weekend to explain his stance on prediction markets.
“They’re illegal. They’re clearly illegal in the sports betting world and here’s why: The Supreme Court left it to the states to do it, and the fact is, doing it through the states gives you two things. One, it gives people an opportunity. Two, in a regulated market,” he said.
“These people are not being regulated, not following the law, and that’s hurting the 40 states where this is happening. In the 10 states that don’t have sports betting, these people have decided not to allow sports betting in their states, and these people are ignoring state laws and getting in there anyway.”
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Just exercise
Christie said that so far, his focus has been solely on the sports sector of the prediction markets space.
“States have taken over the space to regulate sports betting,” he said. “The U.S. Supreme Court gave them that opportunity, and I spent six years bringing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and winning… This was done through regulation and monitoring to ensure the integrity of the game was protected.”
Christie also ran for president twice, in 2016 and 2024, losing both times to Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
In addition to his efforts to bring legalized sports betting to the United States, Christie memorably debunked doubts about the legality of fantasy sports on the debate stage before the 2016 election.
