DE appeals sports betting restrictions

The court fight is not over for Delaware as the state tries to expand the number of sports betting choices available in the state.

The court fight is not over for Delaware as the state tries to expand the number of sports betting choices available in the state. On Monday, the state filed an appeal of the court ruling that severely limited Delaware’s sports betting to multiple game “parlay” bets on the NFL.

In the appeal to the full court of appeals, Delaware lawyers claim that the three judge panel that heard the case earlier this year didn’t interpret the federal law that restricts sports betting correctly. Last month, the court ruled that NFL games were the only games allowed to be bet on because that’s all that Delaware offered for bets in the state’s brief experience with sports betting in 1976. The state claims that even though bets on NFL games were  all that was offered three decades ago, betting on other sports were permitted by state law.

Click here to read Delaware’s appeal of the ruling that limited the state’s sports betting options to multiple game bets on the NFL.

The appeal also claims that court made it’s opinion too quickly, and didn’t give Delaware’s lawyers a chance to present evidence about the substance of the state’s sports lottery. The appeal states that “if afforded the opportunity, [Delaware] would present evidence that single-game betting is substantively the same as parlay betting.” The state is also arguing that the earlier ruling  is “inconsistent” with Supreme Court precedent.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell says in a statement, “The State of Delaware should have its day in court. We hope we get that opportunity. We believe there are important legal and factual questions that should be heard by the entire Court.”

Sports betting in Delaware started again last Thursday with the opening of the NFL season. It’s not clear how many bets were made over the weekend. Those numbers should be available later this week.