Del. pushes sports betting appeal

DOVER, Del. - Delaware officials are challenging a federal court's restriction of the state's new sports betting lottery.

An appeals court panel ruled this month that the lottery must be restricted to multi-game wagers on NFL football. State officials are asking that the matter be heard by the entire Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

In a filing today, attorneys for the state argue that the panel's decision runs contrary to U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

The state wanted to offer single-game bets and wagers on a variety of sports, not just the NFL.

Delaware was exempted from a federal ban because it had conducted an NFL sports lottery in 1976.