Delaware Legalizes Sports Betting Industry 

May 18, 2009 - Written By Renee

At a festive ceremony last week at the Delaware Park racetrack and casino, the Governor of Delaware, Jack Markell signed into law the bill that will essentially make sports betting legal in the state. 

"There is tremendous interest in the sports lottery throughout our region and nationally," said Markell. "My administration looks forward to working with the racinos to market their terrific facilities and make the sports lottery as attractive to customers as we can." 

The state will allow legal sports betting at the three racinos in Delaware, as an avenue to promote its sports lottery. It is believed that the new legislation will also pave the way for the introduction of table games in the racinos, “as soon as possible”, according to Markell. 

Nevertheless, the governor’s moves have not been accepted by everyone, despite the fact that the legislation was also supported by the opposition. Professional sports groups are among Markell’s strongest opponents, and bodies such as the National Football League and the NCAA filing charges with state courts to contest the decision. The NCAA announced that it would not allow state colleges and universities to host playoffs if the governor insisted of having a policy of legal sports betting in place.  

“We expect that everyone involved in the administration of sports leagues — professional and college — will review today's action and evaluate its impact as other decisions are made by Delaware officials and the Delaware Supreme Court," said Greg Aiello, a spokesperson for the National Football League.