The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal in New Jersey's long-running effort to legalize gambling on sports events.

In the case, the justices are expected to consider whether the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which has been held to bar New Jersey's sports-gambling scheme, violates the Tenth Amendment.

A win at the Supreme Court would be especially sweet for Gov. Chris Christie, who has long advocated legalized sports betting but has faced numerous roadblocks. Christie backed a 2011 nonbinding referendum to allow sports gambling that the electorate passed by a two-thirds vote. But the referendum was followed by a lengthy litigation phase as the National College Athletic Association and professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey leagues fought the plans for legalized wagering. The latest setback for sports wagering proponents was an August 2016 ruling by a 12-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which held that PASPA is not an unconstitutional restriction on the power of the states.

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