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New Delaware Governor, Jack Markell, is making huge national waves in its attempt to legalize sports betting in the state. ESPN interviewed Markell about the hot button issue.
"We are in a unique position as the only state east of the Mississippi authorized to have a sports lottery," says Markell.
The state hasn't had sports betting in the last 30 years.
"NFL, NCAA has expressed their opinion. My interest is in the taxpayers of Delaware," says Markell. "The NFL says their focus is to protect the integrity of the league and that the sports lottery is not consistent with that."
The National Football League, in what could be a precursor to a lawsuit against Delaware Gov. Jack Markell over sports betting, has filed a legal brief against the measure with the state Supreme Court.
"This is irony: the NFL, in a brief filed with the DE Supreme Court opposing legal sports betting in the state, argues that betting on sports is a skill, not a game of chance," says Joe Brennan, Jr. of the powerful Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association.
iMEGA is currently working with the state of New Jersey in a legal battle to have sports betting legalized. That state would bring the activity online.
While at first Delaware and New Jersey might be seen as competition for one another, this is not necessarily the case. Delaware would be in the enviable position of securing sports bettors from Maryland, Virginia, the Washington, D.C. area and parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. New Jersey's industry looks to capitalize mostly on the state's nearly 9 million residents.
Watch the video in its entirety here
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
