Sports betting has always been a controversial topic in the world of gambling, especially now with online gambling becoming a popular form of this age old leisure activity.  Gambling in the United States is usually done at a sanctioned brick and mortar casino with the states actively taking a part in legislating the games, payouts, and other aspects of the casino and gambling business.  The federal government and the states are going around about how online gambling will be regulated – if at all – and now the state of Delaware has decided to throw in their unique take on the casino industry.  Delaware state legislators are strongly considering legalizing sports betting in the state.

Currently there is no place on the East Coast that allows for legal sports betting.  Gamblers interested in this kind of wagering have traditionally had to fly out to Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to place bets on the wide variety of sports that bets have been taken on – baseball, football, soccer, tennis, NASCAR, etc.  If Delaware’s legislators are successful in passing this law in the state, gamblers on the East Coast will be able to save some money on air fare.  The legislators are attempting to get the sports betting initiative approved during the current legislative session.

House Speaker Bob Gilligan is a strong believer in the sports betting initiative for the state and feels that it could very easily be approved.  In a statement he released to Delaware Online, "If we're going to do it, we're going to do it quickly."  Gamblers will then be able to simply take a drive up or down the East Coast to do a little wagering and push the state into new territory as it sets a precedence that other states in the United States could follow.

If sports betting becomes legalized in Delaware, the means of betting will be done differently than they are in Las Vegas.  The odds would be tilted away from the gambler more so than they are in Vegas, and gamblers will be required to place their wagers in the form of parlays.  This means that the gambler will have to place wagers on multiple games in order to win and not on just one.

Delaware’s new governor Jack Markell is still unsure where he stands on the legalized sports betting issue. He has asked his state legislators to provide him with more detailed information on how the betting would be conducted in order to make an informed decision.  Once he has gone over everything that he is presented with, he will decide whether or not he will support the legalized sports betting legislation.

This gambling battle is only the most recent one the state of Delaware has seen.  Slot machines and a state lottery were the first two battles fought – both won – and many state politicians feel that by offering legalized sports betting – something their neighbor states do not – they will be able to give the gamblers along the East Coast and inward something worthwhile.