SOURCE: Associated Press

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Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, said the federal law can be challenged.

"It may be the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, but fighting for legalized pro sports gaming is a play New Jersey can't afford to pass up," Greenwald said.

Sen. Jim Whelan, the Senate wagering committee chairman and a former Atlantic City mayor, said his panel may consider the bill.

"It's something I've supported for Atlantic City for quite sometime," said Whelan, D-Atlantic.

"The big obstacle to making it a reality, though, is the federal ban on sports betting for New Jersey, which won't go away just by our passing a bill."

The NFL is fighting the proposal.

"It's bad policy because it turns human players into roulette chips with the sanction of the state," said NFL attorney David H. Remes.

The effort comes as Atlantic City's casinos recorded the first decline in gambling revenue since they opened in 1978. The 11 casinos took in $4.9 billion last year, down from $5.2 billion in 2006.

The decline was blamed on new slots parlors in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York.

Joseph Corbo, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said the casinos support the legislation.

Joseph Lupo, vice president of operations for the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, noted the recent Super Bowl weekend was a huge event in Las Vegas, but not Atlantic City.

About $92 million was bet at Nevada's 174 sports books on the Super Bowl this year.

Under the amendments, sports betting would also be allowed at Freehold Raceway, Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands.

They were proposed after the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horseman's Association announced it opposed the bill.

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