NJ lawmakers pass bill to allow most NBA bets at Golden Nugget
The Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow bettors to gamble on most NBA games at Atlantic City's Golden Nugget casino.
Betting on NBA games is currently prohibited there because the casino's owner, Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owns the Houston Rockets.
If Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signs the bill passed Monday, gamblers still couldn't bet on games involving the Rockets.
After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting last year, New Jersey lawmakers banned team owners from placing or accepting bets on any games involving their sport.
The provision was aimed at the Golden Nugget and enacted over protests that Nevada regulators allow Fertitta's casinos to take bets on pro basketball games that don't involve the Rockets.