Delaware sports betting appeal denied

Delaware loses another battle in its efforts to expand sports betting.

Delaware’s effort to add single game options to its sports betting offerings were rejected by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals.  The state had appealed to the full 12 judge panel after three judges ruled in August that Delaware could only offer parlay bets on minimum of three games.  That three judge panel also limited Delaware’s sports betting to NFL games.

In a statement, Governor Jack Markell’s chief legal counsel Michael Barlow says, “Obviously, we are disappointed with today’s ruling.  We realize that it is rare that the Third Circuit will hear cases with all 12 active judges, but this was an important issue for the state of Delaware.”  As for the next step, Barlow says, “We’re not closing off anything yet, but at this point we think it’s unlikely that we’re going to pursue an appeal to the Supreme Court.”

The parlay bets have been more attractive to gamblers than state officials initially thought they would be.  Barlow says, “The sports lottery has already – in three weeks – had more wagered than the entire 1976 Delaware sports lottery season.”  The states’ first experiment with sports betting more than 30 years ago was shuttered after just a few months.