Monmouth Park operator Dennis Drazin Tuesday said that he "expects the horse racing track to be the first of the state's racetracks and casinos to attempt to offer betting on professional and college sports this fall," according to John Brennan of the Bergen RECORD. Drazin said that Atlantic City's 12 casinos, Meadowlands Racetrack operators and the state's other tracks "all appear to be hesitant to try to implement a state law" signed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in May. Drazin said, "I'm not convinced that the NFL or the federal government will try and stop me, but we also have to anticipate that there may be an attempt for an injunction. If there is, though, my way of combating that would be to go right back at the NFL. It seems like they're always talking about betting lines on football shows on TV, so the NFL is hypocritical about opposing legal sports betting here." He said that Monmouth Park could "attract sports bettors even if the courts issue an injunction by offering 'free play' wagering on sporting events, with no money wagered but with opportunities to win prizes." Meadowlands Racetrack operator Jeff Gural said, "We have no plans to offer sports wagering and assume [there] will be a court challenge" (NORTHJERSEY.com, 7/3).
