Want to bet which party wins the House and Senate on Nov. 5? You can now lay money on that question legally, thanks to an unfortunate ruling last Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The decision lifted a temporary stay on such wagering issued in September.
The ruling is not the final word. The D.C. Circuit must still review a district court order allowing the practice on the merits. Yet it is a step in the wrong direction: toward turning electoral politics, like professional and college sports, into a locus of gambling.
