The legal battle raging in Delaware between the nation’s pro sports leagues and the state over sports betting has widened.

The leagues, already rebuffed by a federal judge who denied their bid for an injunction, this week asked the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to review the matter and render a quick decision.

The issue centres on single game betting, which the leagues say is illegal under federal law and the state says is legal for Delaware.

Delaware’s lead attorney says not offering single game betting “would be like opening a restaurant and offering only appetizers, and disappointing your customers and hope they come back later.”

A Delaware Supreme Court decision in May did not address the single game issue.

Casinogamblingweb.com, commenting on the situation, said, “The amount of effort the NFL is putting into the case shows just how scared they are that the rest of the country will find out what Las Vegas already knows: that sports betting is big business. The revenue is in the millions every weekend that there is football being played, both college and pro.”

(With files from Harness Tracks of America and Casinogamblingweb.com)