Supreme Court strikes ban on sports gambling

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a law that prohibited betting on sports, giving states the go-ahead to allow gambling on games. The justices voted 6-3 against the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which made Nevada the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game. New Jersey has worked for years to bring back legal sports gambling, but professional leagues and the NCAA have opposed its efforts, saying betting could affect the integrity of games. Many states hope their cut of sports wagers could alleviate budget problems. The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans illegally bet about $150 billion on sports each year, and one research firm estimated before the ruling that if the Supreme Court were to strike down the law, 32 states would likely offer sports gambling within five years.