Delaware's Ruling May Cause Sportsbooks to be Empty
Though the ruling has not been published, certain sports wagering in Delaware does violate federal law according to a 3 judge panel at the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Today, Judge Theodore McKee announced the ruling and further stated that Gov. Markell’s bill violates the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The court did not give any indication as to whether there were any dissenting opinions.
What does this mean for Delaware?
First, the Gov. has 14 days to appeal the decision. The argument will be based primarily off of the legal interpretation of the sports betting statute. As of now, the issue isn’t the parlay betting. Rather, it has to deal with betting on individual games.
Right now, Delaware needs to determine what they will do as September 1st is the projected date to open its sportsbooks. Delaware’s casinos have already invested over $12 million in upgrading the casinos to handle sports wagering.
If no appeal is filed and no other actions is taken, the December trial may be removed too. Delaware should have the right to accept parlay wagering, but head-to-head games is still to be determined.
