New Jersey’s victory and the Supreme Court’s final decision opened the doors for individual states to legalize and regulate sports betting. That decision ended a years-long legal battle pitting the state of New Jersey against federal law, the NCAA, and the four major professional sports leagues. For over 25 years, a federal law ( PASPA) prevented most US states from legalizing sports betting.Įverything changed in May of 2018 when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled the federal sports betting ban unconstitutional.