Delaware Loses Gambling Lawsuit, Also Fails To Cover

A Federal Appeals court sided with major sports leagues and struck down Delaware's plan to offer sports betting this fall. The integrity of sports is saved! Isn't that wonderful?

Delaware was hoping to take advantage of a grandfather clause in a 1992 federal law that banned sports gambling in the United State. Four states—Nevada, Montana, Oregon, and Delaware—were exempted because they had previously (or currently) allowed gambling. Delaware ran a football-only, multi-game parlay system in 1976, but wanted to institute single-game betting on every sport this year. The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA all argued that if Delaware wanted to get back into the business, they could only use the old parlay system and couldn't expand to other sports.

The appeals judges agreed with them, even though one helpfully pointed out that it's hard to argue that the integrity of sport is in jeopardy when anchors on the NFL's own radio network routinely give gambling advice to listeners. But that's just for fun, I guess. Because if the state were allowed to organize public gambling, then the outcome of games could be manipulated by unscrupulous gangsters! Therefore, only unscrupulous gangsters should organize gambling.

This may eventually go to the Supreme Court, but it looks like there's no way you're betting on football games in Dover this year.

Appeals court blocks Delaware betting [USA Today] Ohio Lottery signs up two NFL teams for branded games [Lottery News]