Sports betting history was made today as sports bettors in Delaware placed the first legal bets under the new state-sponsored sports betting system. The AP covered this remarkable milestone, outlining some of the contentious history surrounding this issue:

DOVER, Del. — Sports betting in Delaware officially got under way Thursday after surviving a contentious legal battle with professional sports leagues and the NCAA.

Bill Mele, a cemetery supervisor from Dover, was so eager to get started he tried to place his wager a minute or two before the official 10 a.m. kickoff. The computer at the new, high-tech sports book at Dover Downs casino wouldn’t accept his initial bet, so he had to wait a couple of minutes and try again.

“I wanted to get my sports bet in, and when I realized they were having a Thursday night game, I got pretty excited,” said Mele, who celebrated his 57th birthday by becoming the first person to place a sports bet at Dover Downs.

Delaware is now the only state east of the Rocky Mountains to offer legal sports wagering.

The casinos at Delaware Park near Wilmington and at Harrington Raceway and Casino in southern Delaware also began taking bets in advance of Thursday night’s NFL regular season opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans.

Under a federal appeals court ruling in a lawsuit brought by professional sports leagues and the NCAA, Delaware’s sports betting is restricted to parlay, or multiple wagers on at least three NFL games. A bettor must pick all the games correctly to win.

Delaware officials were hoping to offer bets on single games and sports other than professional football, but the court said that went beyond what was allowed under the state’s exemption to the 1992 federal ban on sports betting. Delaware was exempted from the ban because it had previously conducted an NFL sports lottery in 1976.

This video above is from the DelawareOnline.tv and it gives you a first-hand look at the front lines of this raging battle.

On a related note, the NFL season starts today. If you are an American customer looking for an online sportsbook, we recommend you check out Canbet.com. They offer $400 free for new customers right now, and they have a rock solid reputation in the industry. Full disclosure: the link provided is part of an affilate program, but the recommendation is 100% genuine and unbiased. Thanks for your continued support and good luck to you in the upcoming NFL season!

An epic battle is brewing. The two opposing sides are readying themselves for the fray; recruiting foot soldiers, forging alliances, stockpiling ammunition. In recent weeks, powerful interests have thrown down the gauntlet, setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most riveting political and economic rumbles of all time. The issue at the heart of the conflict is the legalization of sports betting and the field of battle is the United States of America.

Some of the most interesting recent developments include:

• Bipartisan coalition unites to legalize online gambling – and tax it: Barney Frank picks up some Republican support for his bill to repeal the UIGEA. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) as usual shows himself to be a leading conservative voice for individual rights.
• NJ Gov. Corzine joins the fight to overturn the Federal ban on sports betting: The New Jersey Governor sees the Constitutional problems with permitting only four states to allow sports betting. A gubernatorial candidate from Massachusetts agrees.
• DoJ Tries to Block New Jersey Governor From Sports Betting Suit: The little lawsuit started by a state lawmaker in NJ has picked up steam, causing the Justice Department to desperately look for obscure legal reasons to prevent it from seeing a trial. Amazing in-depth coverage of this story at MajorWager.com
• GOP Senators come out against States rights on sports betting issue: Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are taking the lead in the fight against sports betting, challenging Delaware and New Jersey’s attempts to regulate and tax sports betting. Many of their questionable arguments are skillfully rebutted by Delaware politician Peter Schwartzkopf here.
• NFL seeks to stop sports betting in Delaware: The No Fun League joins in on the fun, seeking an injunction to prevent the Delaware sports betting program from going into effect. The other major sports leagues and the NCAA also throw their weight behind the effort.

This is merely the first round in what promises to be a heavy weight fight that goes the distance. In the end, let’s hope the Constitution and the liberty of he American people get the unanimous decision.

It’s not just the temperature on the thermometer that is heating up as we enter into the summer months here in the U.S.; the war over the legality of sports betting has been growing hotter in recent weeks, setting the stage for explosive conflicts between powerful entrenched forces on both sides of the volatile issue.

Some of the incredible stories coming out in recent days:

• Federal prosecutors have seized $30 million of winnings from online poker players. Appealing directly to the banks used by the payment processing companies, the Feds have seized not the funds made by the poker sites, but the legitimate payouts won by U.S. based players. This should be a real wake up call for anyone who cares about their freedom and constitutional rights.
• The Governor of NJ has joined the fight to legalize sports betting in his state. What started as the David and Goliath story of a single state legislator against the U.S. Federal Government is quickly becoming an increasingly fair fight as various heavyweight lobbying groups and political players such as Governor Corzine enter the fray. Is it just a matter of time before other states take up the cause?
• The NCAA threatened to bar tournament games in the state of Montana due to its state-run fantasy sports league. Montana has responded with a rather weak attempt to appease the NCAA bullies.
• The WTO once again rules against the Unites States in a worldwide dispute over the online gambling ban in the United States. Unfortunately these rulings are consistently ignored by our government.
• The NFL is fighting tooth and nail to stop legalized sports betting in Delaware. The truth is that the NFL should be grateful for sports betting according to industry insiders. Meanwhile NFL owners just voted to allow NFL logos to appear on state lottery tickets.
• A guy got his hand chopped off for a gambling debt in NJ. Needless to say this kind of stuff doesn’t happen in the online gambling world where deposits are made up front.
• Finally, the state of Minnesota backs down on its ridiculous demand that the biggest Internet Service Providers block access for Minnesota citizens to certain gambling sites. This is the kind of thing they are doing in China my friends. Credit to iMEGA and the PPA for this small victory.

It’s an interesting time to be following the issue of online sports betting. The landscape could be very different by the start of the football season – though I wouldn’t bet on it.

In related news, as expected Delaware Governor Jack Markell has signed legislation legalizing sports betting in that state. Neighboring state New Jersey’s press and lawmakers were quick to react.