In 2008, Delaware's then-governor Ruth Ann Miller was opposed to a bill that would have seen legalized sports betting in the state. Although, with a new governor and an estimated $600 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the idea is being looked into once again.
According to a report by usatoday.com, Delaware governor Jack Markell has asked the state finance department to speak with companies interested in running a sports lottery in the state.
According to the article, senate majority leader Tony DeLuca and house speaker Pete Schwartzkopf have said that the primary obstacles to passage of a bill by legislators are mechanical issues: whether sports betting would be limited to casinos at the state's three horse racing tracks; the cost of licensing and specifics of how the betting would work.
"There are all kinds of people with vested interests," the report quotes DeLuca as saying. "And I'm sure there will be lively debate, but I would say [a bill] is going to be successful."
To read the usatoday.com article in its entirety, click here.
(With files from usatoday.com)