Sports Betting to be Legalized in Delaware

06-19-2009

Jack Markell is prepared to take action to legalize sports betting in the state of Delaware. Still, Markell realizes that there could be significant ramifications surfacing in the political arena. Back when Markell was still campaigning to become Delaware’s governor last fall, he had frequently hinted how he would support sports betting if he were elected. Now that Markell is definitely in the position to support sports betting more than ever, he has also been hinting about legalizing sports betting more and more.

Markell’s Plan of Action

According to a reliable statehouse source, Markell has plans to come up with a proposal wherein gambling on sports would become legal in the areas located in the eastern portion of the Mississippi River. If the state legislature would approve the state proposal, which could be approved in as early as April, then sports betting could definitely become legal by fall. This is good news for NFL fans because the NFL season starts right about that time.

The Gist of Markell’s Proposal

Markell is proposing to have a statewide sports lottery that has room for just parlay bets. With parlay bets, gamblers need to have two bets right so that they could win. Markell expresses that this idea of parlay bets has been circulating all over Delaware for quite some time now. In fact, this has even been circulating before the economy started suffering from the effects of recession, thereby leaving the state budget short of $700 million.

Why Jack Markell is Supportive of Sports Betting

Markell is more of a realist or practical person than a revolutionary when it comes to sports betting. He has spent a lot of time listening to both proponents and opponents of gambling to get an objective view of the issue. Interestingly, Markell has not been to Las Vegas for close to 15 years now and he rarely goes to racetrack/casinos, which are also termed as racinos back in his home state. But in his perspective, Delaware is pretty much into sports betting already, with the presence or horseracing and slot machines around the state. Plus, with Delaware $700 million short, the idea of sports betting just becomes more and more attractive.

The Effects of Sports Betting Resurfacing

As perceived by Markell, sports betting would help deal with the state budget’s gap and this is supported by figures as well. the latest National Gambling Impact Study shows how $380 billion is actually bet on sports every single year. With the advent of Internet and computer technology, there are virtually more opportunities for people to get into sports betting. This means more earnings for Delaware in the long run.

Markell’s Expectations with Sports Betting Resurfacing

The lottery, in itself, is enough to bring in at the very least $50 million in revenue – and this is just the revenue that the state can earn through betting on games. There would still be increase handling at statewide racinos as well as food and beverage sales to consider so this is a win-win situation. Moreover, with the operation of sports bars all over the state, sports lottery tickets could then be sold just about everywhere. Markell expects Delaware to become a primary gambling destination, and he intends to do that starting with the legalization of sports betting.