WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- A judge in Wilmington, Del., has set a Dec. 7 trial date on a plan to use funds from sports betting to ease the state's budget woes, the News Journal said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet denied a claim by the NCAA and several professional sports leagues that the plan violates both Delaware's state Constitution and the federal ban on sports betting.
The Wilmington-area newspaper said Sleet's ruling Wednesday removed legal roadblocks for sports betting to begin in September while its legality was being challenged.
"The court concludes that a preliminary injunction is not warranted in this case," Sleet said.
Kenneth J. Nachbar, the attorney representing the four major sports leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball) and the NCAA, said they were disappointed and would go before the U.S.Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia to attempt to get Sleet's ruling overturned.
