But the question for the Supreme Court, Justice Alito wrote, was whether Congress had crossed a constitutional line in forcing states to do its bidding. Five justices agreed with every part of Justice Alito’s opinion, and Justice Stephen G. Breyer with most of it. The law exempted Nevada, where sports betting has long been legal, along with sports lotteries in Delaware, Montana and Oregon. The four major sports leagues successfully challenged the state law as a violation of the federal one. The Supreme Court has said that the federal government may not commandeer state resources to achieve federal objectives.

Source: New York Times May 14, 2018 14:15 UTC