Business news in brief

The New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority says no files or confidential information were breached when hackers infiltrated the agency's website over the weekend. But it's still not clear who committed the attack or why it occurred. In a statement, the CRDA said it believes the hacking happened sometime Saturday night and that someone then posted pro-terrorist messages. The site was restored by early Sunday afternoon. The FBI's Newark field office said it was aware of the attack, but would not say whether it was investigating. - Associated Press

American Gaming Association president Geoff Freeman, speaking to the National Association of Attorneys General on Monday in Biloxi, Miss., called on state legal leaders to crack down on illegal gambling, saying it is siphoning off money from legitimate casinos. He said states should care because illegal operations do not pay taxes, are not regulated to protect consumers, and may be funding other criminal operations. The association is calling on states to crack down on illegal sports betting, sweepstakes cafés, black-market slot machines, and online gambling sites hosted in other countries. - AP

Sears Holdings Corp. agreed to form a real estate joint venture with Simon Property Group Inc. that will generate $114 million, marking the department-store chain's latest push to use its extensive properties to shore up its finances. Both companies have stores or malls in the Philadelphia region. Sears will transfer 10 properties valued at $228 million to a company that it will own jointly with Simon, the companies said in a statement Monday. A leaseback arrangement means Sears will continue to operate stores at the locations. Simon, a real estate company, separately agreed to buy another Sears property at La Plaza Mall in McAllen, Texas. - Bloomberg News

Celgene Corp., based in Summit, N.J., said it would pay $45 million for a minority stake in Australia-based drugmaker Mesoblast Ltd. Celgene, the maker of the cancer drug Revlimid, will gain a six-month right of first refusal on Mesoblast's stem-cell product candidates for conditions including inflammatory bowel disease and certain oncological ailments. - Bloomberg News

The Obama administration is proposing regulations aimed at ensuring that offshore oil wells are sealed in an emergency, as the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill nears. Federal safety investigators blamed a faulty blowout preventer for the Gulf of Mexico spill, and called for stronger regulations to prevent oil and gas from rushing to the surface and triggering a spill. The 264-page rule was long expected, and requires an independent annual review of maintenance records. - AP

In Sioux City, Iowa, two former egg industry executives were sentenced to three months in jail for their roles in a major 2010 salmonella outbreak that sickened thousands. Austin "Jack" DeCoster and his son, Peter, faced up to a year in jail on charges of shipping adulterated food. They will remain free while appealing their three-month sentence. The DeCosters wanted to avoid jail time, but U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett heeded prosecutors' calls for a tough punishment because of the widespread harm the outbreak caused. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked 1,939 illnesses to the outbreak, but officials estimate that up to 56,000 people may have been sickened. Investigators argue that the DeCosters knew their Iowa egg facilities were at risk for salmonella contamination before the outbreak. - AP

The NBA said it struck a new marketing partnership with PepsiCo Inc., ending a 28-year partnership with Coca-Cola Co. PepsiCo brands include Pepsi, Tropicana, Lay's, Lipton, and Doritos, and Mountain Dew will lead the company's NBA marketing strategy. The partnership will cover North America and China, where the popularity of the NBA is growing. Coca-Cola said it will continue to have relationships with individual teams and venues, which means some arenas will still serve Coke products. - AP

Gap Inc., Sears Holdings Corp., and other retail chains are drawing scrutiny from New York's attorney general over their possible use of on-call shifts, which require hourly workers to make themselves available on short notice. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to 13 retailers Friday seeking information about their reliance on such shifts. He also warned the companies that the practices may violate state employment law. - Bloomberg News