On Thursday, June 28, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012 into law. The legislation will allow the state to become the first to legally enter the intrastate online gaming realm.
According to a report by Doug Denison in the Wilmington, Delaware News-Journal, Gov. Markell signed the bill into law the morning after it passed the State Senate after a close vote.
The article states that the bill will allow full-service betting websites to offer slots play and games like roulette, poker and blackjack. The digital casino gaming offerings will be accessible through each Delaware casino's website and controlled centrally by the state lottery office.
Citing the fact that the move will protect "a couple thousand jobs" in Delaware's embattled casino industry, Gov. Markell was quoted as saying, "The competitive landscape for this industry has changed dramatically."
The article explains that Delaware's Department of Finance has estimated that the new gambling offerings will generate $7.75-million in revenues for the state in fiscal 2013.
An Associated Press story covering the development has explained that the bill expands keno beyond Delaware's three casinos to at least 100 other sites, and betting on NFL football to at least 20 non-casino sites.
(With files from the Wilmington, Delaware News-Journal)