The Delaware Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today on the pros and cons of the sports betting law signed by Gov. Jack Markell last week.
At stake is whether or not existing Delaware law allows for single-game betting or if it limits betting to a parlay system.
Some have said that a parlay system, which requires gamblers to bet on a slate of games, will not generate nearly as much revenue as single-game betting.
Markell requested that the court provide an advisory opinion on the law when the plan first was proposed, but the court said it would wait until the law emerged in its final form before offering an opinion.
Pursuant to the governor’s request, the court accepted briefs from attorneys on both sides of the issue. Those attorneys will have their chance to present their arguments in open court at 2:35 p.m. today in Dover.
Proponents say the law is in line with Delaware’s gambling codes and permissible under a 1992 federal law that outlaws sports betting in all states except Delaware, Nevada, Oregon and Montana. Those states were exempted because they all allowed some form of legalized sports betting prior to 1979.
Opponents, including the National Football League, say the federal law would prohibit Delaware from running a single-game betting system because its failed experiment with sports betting in the 1970s included a parlay system only.
The NFL, which has been granted speaking time before the court, also said that sports betting is not covered under the state’s lottery laws. The outcome of sports contests are not based solely on chance, the NFL said in its pre-filed brief, but rather are subject to athletic skill.
