NJ governor says federal ban on sports betting unfair

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine says he will support a state lawmaker's fight to overturn a federal ban on sports betting in New Jersey and 45 other states.

Corzine said Friday he would seek to intervene in a federal lawsuit filed in March by state Sen. Ray Lesniak, a Democrat from Elizabeth.

Corzine says the federal government's ban on sports betting in some but not all states is "fundamentally unfair."

Delaware is among the states exempt from the ban. Its lawmakers voted a month ago to legalize sports betting. Corzine said that poses a threat to the casino and horse racing industries in New Jersey.

Lesniak and Corzine estimate legalized sports betting could produce as much as $100 million a year in tax revenue for New Jersey.

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