A three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked Delaware's plan to offer single game sports betting starting on September 1st. The decision was taken after the appeal court determined that Delaware's plans violate a 1992 federal ban on sportsbetting.

Delaware is one of four states in where sports betting was legal before the implementation of the 1992 PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act). Congress provided exceptions to Delaware, Nevada, Oregon and Montana and allowed them to continue with sports betting scheme they had in place before the approval of the PASPA bill.

State officials approved a law in May that allows them to extend sports gaming to single-game bets on all major professional sports leagues and college games. However, the judges determined that Delaware's plans are not covered by the 1992 exemption.

Right after Delaware approved its sportsbetting extension plan, the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA reacted and sued the state, arguing that single-game betting could harm integrity of the games. However, this assumption was rejected by Delaware's lawyer Andre Bouchard, who claims that sportsbetting fans are able to place bets on single games in Las Vegas and that it has not caused any plausible harm to the mentioned sports leagues. Bouchard added that Delaware approved the sportsbetting plan as a way to ease the state's $800 million budget deficit and that it is consistent with the federal law.

“Obviously I am disappointed with the Court’s decision and will be meeting with the state’s attorneys to evaluate our legal options,” said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.

BetUS.com