New NJ sports betting bill may bench Golden Nugget casino

The clock is ticking fast for Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta as the New Jersey lawmakers are set to give its final approval on a sports betting bill that may bar his casino from offering the game.

Fertita must quickly decide whether he’ll give up the ownership of NBA team Houston Rockets within the year so his Golden Nugget casino will be allowed to offer sports betting or keep his team and forfeit his sports betting license, according to the Star Tribune report.

Under NJ’s sports betting bill, anyone who owns 10 percent or more of a sports team would be barred from running a sports betting business in the state. Sen. Stephen Sweeney, the main sponsor of the bill, noted that such provision was included in the bill to ensure the integrity of both the casinos and sports team.

Technically, casino operators may secure sports betting licenses after betting is legalized in the state but they need to divest their stakes in any professional sports team within the year. If they fail to unload all their stakes after the one-year deadline, operators will not only lose their licenses but also they will be compelled to repay New Jersey all the money they earned from sports betting at that time.