Battle brewing to turn former Garden State Park into sports betting venue
A developer says a Pennsylvania company is blocking the move to turn the former racetrack into a sports betting facility.
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — A battle is brewing over whether a former New Jersey racetrack will be one of the state's legal sports betting venues.
In a federal lawsuit, a developer claims a company whose parent company owns a racetrack and casino in Pennsylvania is illegally preventing it from offering sports betting at the former Garden State Park. The track closed in 2002.
Developer Cherry Hill Towne Center Partners is challenging a 1999 document that permanently forbids wagering activity other than by defendant Garden State Park Racing and its successors.
Garden State Park Racing is to file a response next month. Its attorney didn't immediately respond to a message Wednesday.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a sports betting ban in May, New Jersey has offered sports betting at several casinos and racetracks.