Chris Christie has been a two-time Republican presidential candidate, the governor of New Jersey, and a U.S. attorney. But history might show that he generated the most enduring national impact in a different role, as the godfather of legalized sports betting.
In 2012, when he was still New Jersey’s governor, Christie signed a bill that would allow customers to wager on professional and collegiate sports at 12 casinos and four racetracks.
Nor did Christie — who now works as a strategic adviser to the American Gaming Association — envision the rise of prediction markets, some of which have been accused in lawsuits across the U.S. of running illegal sports betting operations.
