Sports wagering loses big

The Governor’s proposal to legalize sports wagering in Delaware has failed to clear the state House of Representatives.

The Governor’s proposal to legalize sports wagering in Delaware has failed to clear the state House of Representatives. The bill fell short of the required three-fifths majority with a final tally of 23 “Yes”, 15 “No” and three, “Not voting.”

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[audio: 090506bcsportsbet.mp3]

A bill that would make Delaware the only state east of the Mississippi that could legally offer sports betting fell two votes shy of passing the state House of Representatives. And while the bill took a hit, Governor Jack Markell says it’s far from dead.

Markell: We’re gonna keep working, we’re gonna keep fighting because we don’t have any choice, if we want to pay for all these services if we want to make sure that we can restore some of the proposed pay cuts to state employees we’ve got to generate this revenue.

So there are now two options for the measure. The first is calling for a revote within three legislative days of the initial vote. The other option is to come up with another compromise bill.