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Delaware Governor Jack Markell spoke on a Sports Illustrated web telecast Tuesday regarding his decision to support legalized sports betting in his state.
Delaware becomes the only state east of the Mississippi River to allow betting on sports after the governor signed the legislation with Markell signing the bill into law this past Thursday.
Markell explained that 30 years ago that Delaware had a sports lottery and it wasn't successful. But when the U.S. outlawed legalized sports betting across the country, states that already had it were allowed to keep it.
They're not permitting betting on any Delaware teams and people can only bet at three locations -- all horse tracks. And based on law, they can't expand past those three locations.
The opposition to the new law has been strong, mostly coming from major sports leagues such as the NFL and NCAA. Markell said he hopes to sit down with the NFL and discuss proper regulations.
The sports lottery is key to Markell's plan to address a projected shortfall of more than $600 million for the coming fiscal year.
Unlike neighboring New Jersey, Delaware has no plans to bring sports betting online. New Jersey is still in the process of trying to pass legislation making Internet sports wagering legal.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
