NFL: No Revenue from Sports Gambling, More Spending on Stadiums

The NFL and the rest of the major US sports leagues sued Delaware for trying to raise public revenue for essential services through sports betting, while demanding public funding in the hundreds of billions to construct new stadiums for them.

The National Football League joined with the other major sports organizations in the US to file a lawsuit to block Delaware from accepting single game bets as part of its sports gambling lottery. The NFL says it is willing to discuss other options to help cover state budget costs, although neither it nor the other sports leagues have offered to pay for their own stadiums.

NFL officials insist that allowing legal sports betting would damage public confidence in the integrity of game results. Gambling experts are saying that, without confidence that games aren't fixed, sports gambling would become less popular, and the leagues would suffer a huge loss of public interest.

After all, an Online Casino Advisory poll this spring showed 90 percent of those polled at a crowded sports bar had bet on sports, despite the ban; and over 50 percent bet weekly, at least. NFL officials apparently watch games in isolated chambers, or else they'd hear the disgruntled accusations after fumbles and blown calls.

"Delaware's sports lottery will help pay for our core government services like our teachers and police and will also create new jobs in our state," said a spokesman for Delaware Governor Jack Markell. "We asked for and received a Delaware Supreme Court advisory opinion prior to moving forward to ensure we are in compliance with state law."

ESPN quoted an unnamed Delaware insider as noting the irony of the NFL suing to protect its reputation the same day Mike Vick is invited to rejoin the league.

Delaware officials asked the sports organizations to explain how the Delaware law would expose the sports to any impact they aren't receiving after decades of Nevada sports betting. And others wondered why the leagues act as if they are unaware of the massive illegal sports gambling activity across the US, and the huge impact this black market has on creating league popularity.

Meanwhile, local sports teams continue to hold their home cities hostage, demanding new stadiums built by public funds to prevent them from moving on to more giving towns.