February 2, 2010 at 1:12 PM

The state of Delaware appealed restrictions on its sports betting lottery to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing a lower court overstepped its authority by limiting the scope of the betting.

In a 106-page court filing, attorneys for the state asked the court to review a ruling by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia that limits sports betting in Delaware to multi-game, or parlay, bets on professional football.

Attorneys for the state argued that the appellate court ruling is "the product of several legal errors." The Supreme Court accepts only a small fraction of cases presented for appeal.

In an effort to boost revenues, Gov. Jack Markell last year pushed for the revival of sports betting in Delaware, one of only four states exempted from a 1992 federal ban on sports betting. Delaware received a grandfathered exemption by virtue of a failed 1976 lottery that featured parlay bets on National Football League games.

February 2, 2010 at 1:10 PM

A Clark County District Court ruled today that Harrah’s Entertainment must turn over records to attorneys representing a high roller who allegedly owes $14.7 million in gambling debts.

Businessman Terrance Watanabe, one of the biggest gamblers in Las Vegas history, alleges casino giant Harrah’s Entertainment not only kept him drunk but fed him drugs to induce his massive gambling losses.

Watanabe lost $127 million in Harrah’s-owned Caesars Palace and Rio casinos in 2006 and 2007 and has paid about $112 million of that to the company. A grand jury indicted Watanabe on felony theft charges in April for passing bad checks stemming from the remaining amount Harrah’s says it is owed.

Watanabe, facing 28 years in prison if convicted, claims he doesn’t owe the money because the markers he signed aren’t enforceable.

Watanabe also claims Harrah’s had agreed to forgive the amount of gambling losses he owed by 30 percent and had racked up gambling rewards points entitling him to further discounts. He also says Harrah’s agreed to withhold collection of his markers for at least 60 days.