Delaware being sued to block sports gambling

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Pro leagues, NCAA sue to block Del. sports bet
Md. lawmakers say single-game betting would give neighboring state a better marketing tool for gambling

By Melissa Harris | [email protected]
July 25, 2009


The nation's major professional sports leagues and the NCAA sued Friday to stop Delaware from launching single-game betting - and any wagering on sports other than football - before the NFL season starts this fall.

If a federal judge grants the leagues' demands, Delaware's "sports lottery" would be limited, hampering efforts to balance the state's budget.

A victory for the leagues also would curb, if slightly, an effort among Mid- Atlantic states to expand gambling, which is viewed as a politically safer revenue source than tax increases.

"Delaware would be able to offer something other states can't," said Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch. "That would give them a marketing tool that nobody else would have. You attract families in which the husband likes to bet on sports games and the wife likes to use slot machines."

State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said, "We don't want that on our borders."


Pro leagues, NCAA sue to block Del. sports bet - baltimoresun.com

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Leagues line up vs. Delaware to stop sports betting

By Suzette Parmley
Inquirer Staff Writer

Four professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association sued the state of Delaware yesterday, hoping to prevent the state from starting a sports-betting lottery when the NFL season begins Sept. 10.
Faced with budget challenges, Delaware hopes to raise $50 million in profit in the first year alone.

The focus of the complaint, filed in federal district court in Wilmington, is Delaware's plan for betting on single games, which is much more appealing to gamblers than multigame lotteries.

Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL, NBA, and the NCAA fear that such interest will prompt gamblers to try to fix games or illegally obtain information to win bets.


Leagues line up vs. Delaware to stop sports betting | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/25/2009

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MLB, NFL, NBA ask court to block Delaware betting

MLB, NFL, NBA ask court to block Delaware betting | Sports | Reuters

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Governor will defend against lawsuit

Governor will defend against lawsuit
By Mike Young

Governor Markell is ready to defend himself and Delaware against the lawsuit on sports betting.

The governor's spokesman, Joe Rogalsky, says the Delaware Supreme Court already gave an opinion that it would be legal to have a wide range of sports betting in the First-State.Audio Here

Rogalsky says sports betting will help pay for core government services such as teachers and police, and create new jobs in the state. He says the state invited the NFL to sit down and share their concerns but instead, the league decided to file a lawsuit.


1150AM WDEL • WDEL.com • Dependable News, Delaware's Views

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Judge sets date for Del. betting trial

Judge sets date for Del. betting trial

By Chad Millman
ESPN The Magazine

The NFL season is a month away and at Delaware racetracks in Dover and Wilmington and Harrington workers are carving out areas that look a little like Vegas sports books.

But after the four pro leagues and the NCAA filed a federal lawsuit last week to block Delaware from taking any sports betting action this fall, the question was, would anyone be using the new locations?

The answer, at least for now, is yes.

This afternoon, Judge Gregory Sleet announced that the trial for the lawsuit will begin on Dec. 7. He also denied the leagues' request for a preliminary injunction to immediately halt any plans for betting. But Sleet did say he'd rule on the leagues' request for a summary judgment in their favor by November.

In a statement the leagues' lawyer, Kenneth Nachbar, said: "We continue to oppose more legalized gambling on our games and we are evaluating our options."

In Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell's spokesman, Joe Rogalsky, said: "The state is moving forward with its plans to offer a full compliment of sports lottery options by the start of the NFL season Sept. 10. We look forward to a vindication of our position at trial in December."

Judge sets date for Delaware betting trial - ESPN

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Pro leagues want quick ruling on Del. betting
By RANDALL CHASE (AP) – 18 hours ago

DOVER, Del. — Attorneys for professional sports leagues and the NCAA asked a federal appeals court Monday to decide quickly whether Delaware's plan to allow betting on games should be halted before a trial can be held.
The leagues and the NCAA are appealing a decision by a federal judge to refuse their request for a preliminary injunction, which would have prevented the betting from beginning early next month.

In a written opinion explaining his ruling, Chief District Judge Gregory Sleet said the leagues had not met the criteria for an injunction, including that they would suffer irreparable harm.
Sleet set a Dec. 7 trial date on the leagues' claims the sports betting plan violates a federal ban on sports gambling, as well as Delaware's state constitution.

In a filing to the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, the leagues claim they will win the case, and that Sleet failed to adequately address the issue of irreparable harm. Without an expedited appeal, attorneys for the leagues wrote, the leagues "will have to endure months of sports betting, which is clearly in violation of federal law."
Court documents indicate attorneys for the state are opposed to an expedited handling of the case.

"This was not unexpected," said Joe Rogalsky, a spokesman for Gov. Jack Markell. "We believe Judge Sleet made the correct decision to reject the request for an injunction."
The 1992 federal ban on sports betting exempted four states, including Delaware, that already offered sports gambling, but the leagues contend that Delaware's plan goes beyond what is allowed by the exemption.

Unlike its earlier, failed attempt at sports betting in 1976, Delaware's plan would allow betting on single games, and on sports other than professional football.
The state Supreme Court ruled in May that the sports betting plan does not conflict with Delaware's constitution as long as chance is the predominant factor in winning or losing. The justices refused, however, to decide the constitutionality of single-game bets.

The leagues argue skill would outweigh chance in single-game betting, and that such wagering would violate the state constitution.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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NCAA bans championships in betting states
By MICHAEL MAROT (AP) – 4 days ago

The NCAA will no longer hold championship tournaments in states that permit betting on single games.
Chancellors and presidents from all three NCAA divisions approved the measure Thursday, saying it applies to "any session of an NCAA championship." It does not apply to states that allow parlay betting, lottery tickets, pull tabs and sports pools.

The move came one day after a federal judge denied a request by professional sports leagues and the NCAA to halt Delaware's planned sports betting lottery until a legal challenge is resolved.

A 1992 federal ban on sports betting exempted four states — Delaware, Nevada, Montana and Oregon — that already offered sports gambling. Delaware wants to allow betting on single games, and on sports other than professional football. The sports leagues contend that Delaware's new lottery goes beyond what is allowed by the exemption.
The NCAA has taken a similar tack before. In 2001, the governing body banned postseason games from South Carolina and Mississippi to protest the use of a Confederate images on the statehouse grounds.

Wagering, however, is an issue NCAA officials believe poses a threat to its games, and the organization has consistently taken a hard line against allowing more single-game betting
In 2006, FBI agents were even dispatched to the NCAA men's basketball tournament to discuss gambling. It became clear they were needed when a couple of athletes got text messages from gamblers seeking inside information, an NCAA official said at the time.
The NCAA also has launched a Web site to advise schools to not allow ads or fundraisers that promote gambling, and has been studying how prevalent gambling is in college sports.
With states looking to find new revenue streams, some have turned to legalizing new forms of gambling.

Delaware, for example, believes it will raise $53 million from a sports betting lottery that was approved by the General Assembly in May. It is the only state east of the Rocky Mountains to offer legalized sports wagering.
The policy, however, allows sports pools, ending fears at the University of Montana in Missoula. Montana hosted three Football Championship Subdivision playoff games last fall, but state and university officials argued that Montana law allows betting on fantasy sports leagues, not on the outcome of single events.

"I applaud the NCAA for coming to a commonsense conclusion that preserves Montana's right to host playoff and tournament games," Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock said in a prepared statement. "Montana wholeheartedly supports its student athletes. Along with the NCAA, we remain committed to protecting the integrity of collegiate sports."
Associated Press writer Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Mont., contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.