New Jersey lost another round to legalize sports betting in the state Tuesday when a federal appeals court decided the state law allowing it is trumped by federal law.

Gov. Christie and lawmakers have been pushing for legalized sports gambling to revive the struggling casino industry.

Legalized sports betting would allow betting on professional and college sporting events.

In 2011, voters approved the New Jersey Sports Wagering Law, which was signed into law last year, but not implemented. The NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA sued the state, challenging the law.

In March, a federal judge decided the state could not legalize sports betting, noting a 21-year-old federal law barred such wagering in all but Delaware, Nevada, Oregon, and Montana.

New Jersey had argued that the federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, violated the state's rights on a variety of constitutional grounds, including state sovereignty and equal protection.

The two federal decisions noted without a change in federal law, New Jersey sports gambling is prohibited. When the federal law was passed in 1992, New Jersey failed to exercise an option within one year to permit legalized sports betting here.

Legislators have estimated legalized sports betting could increase revenues by as much as $500 million a year for casinos that have been financially struggling for a number of years.

Contact Barbara Boyer at (856) 779-3838, bboyer@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @BBBoyer.