Thursday, May 14, 2009

Delaware here I come

The Delaware Senate voted in favor of Gov. Jack Markell's proposal to legalize sports betting in the state on Tuesday by a vote of 17-2. Markell is expected to sign the bill into law later this week.

"It's time to move forward and ensure the Delaware Sports Lottery is a success," Markell said after the vote. "This will generate critical revenue to help fund our core commitments."

Delaware is one of only four states in the country -- along with Nevada, Oregon and Montana -- that had sports betting laws on its books when Congress passed the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which banned states from being in the bookmaking business.

Markell, whose state is facing a nearly $800 million budget deficit, hopes that bringing sports betting to his state will generate more than $50 million in the first year alone.

Delaware had a sports lottery -- basically parlay betting -- for one football season, back in 1976. It failed miserably. But for years the state legislature has been trying to bring it back to take advantage of an increased interest in gaming both nationwide and locally, especially along the condensed mid-Atlantic seaboard, where several states have gaming of some kind. However, former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner opposed the idea.

The newly elected Markell hinted on the campaign trail he was open to sports betting, and then made it the centerpiece of his plan to reduce the state deficit. But when his bill was initially voted on by the Delaware House earlier last week, it was rejected.

Many state legislators disagreed with what the governor was asking struggling local racinos -- horse race tracks that carry video slot machines -- to pay in newly charged licensing fees and increased shares of their handle. Two days later, after a nine-hour negotiation between Markell and leaders in the state legislature, a compromise was reached. In the Senate, the debate and the vote lasted less than 30 minutes.

"I am very pleased the Senate acted so quickly to pass the sports lottery legislation," Markell said.

Less thrilled are the NFL and the NCAA, who both lobbied against the bill. After the vote passed, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail: "We expect that everyone involved in the administration of sports leagues -- professional and amateur -- will review today's action and evaluate its impact as other decisions are made by Delaware officials and the Delaware Supreme Court."

According to the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, the NFL already has filed a legal brief with the state Supreme Court, arguing that games cannot be considered a situation of chance because skill "plays an impermissible" role.

The state Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for May 21 to hear arguments on the matter.

Markell has been pushing for his sports betting bill to pass through the Delaware House and Senate quickly, so the state could be ready for action by the NFL season. "That's when we expect most of the betting activity to take place," Markell said earlier this year.

He's hoping to do more than offer up parlays, too. The governor has already asked the State Supreme Court to rule whether or not head-to-head betting is legal in the state. The Court declined to rule until after the bill had become law.

Now that it has, Markell is hopeful he'll get one more vote in his favor.


-From ESPN 360


Hot damn! Legalized Sports betting on the East Coast, MUTHERFUCKER WHAT! I mean how far of a drive is it from here to Delaware?? Is it feasible to go to Atlantic City, pop on down to Dover put in my football bets, and be back in AC for some blackjack? How are more people not talking more about this? This is a glorious day. I hope they start taking bets online. How is New jersey not screaming and trying to have their own mini-vegas happening?

How can a state legalize sports betting but here in Massachusetts we can't even get fucking slot machines in the horse tracks(the only tracks we have left since the dogs got shut down -a loss of 10 million annually to the state). We have politicians who want to raise taxes, tolls and every other fucking thing under the sun. We have people who bitch about the job loss in this state.

We have a way to stop both -
"To see that over $900 million leaves the Commonwealth (of Massachusetts) every year and goes to Connecticut and Rhode Island for gaming, I think that even if we pick up $700 million of that we would all take that," she told a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Wednesday.

Patrick has said casinos would generate billions of dollars of construction-related spending and tens of thousands of construction and other jobs, along with $400 million in revenue annually net of expected public safety and health costs.


That looks like a whole hell of a lot of cash this state could generate and use for their budgets. They wouldn't have to raise the state tax, the tolls, the inspection stickers or heaven forbid, make any budget cuts.

It would generate jobs, in terms of construction and employment when the casinos are built.

Sorry to take such good news as legalize gambling in Delaware and turn it into a rant about the bullshit politics of this state.

2 comments:

Chrisy said...

you made baltimore in under 7 hours... would have been quicker if nickersons fucking speed pass actually worked! im in for the road trip...

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