Right on Schedule; Sports Betting in Delaware

Filed in National by on February 22, 2007

I mentioned yesterday in the comments that Delaware was one of the few states that actually was able to offer sports betting.  This AM I came across this link.  Looks like there are others starting to push for this.  Their timetable is much shorter that I had expected, however.  I am not a fan of gambling personally and I think that sports betting is a pretty degenerate form of gambling at that, but it is low-hanging fruit.  I wonder if the GA is interested.

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  1. anon says:

    Delaware has an unfair advantage because we KNOW the Eagles are going to lose.

  2. anon says:

    Well, it is important to know a little known fact, one of the executives told me… “Delaware is one of a few states in America that allow by their constitution betting on sports. However, there has been no legal venue for this to occur.”

    According to the (Docver Downs) executive, the Delaware legislature is currently seeking ways to define their ability to institute this activity and it makes sense since they already do simulcast wagering on horse racing.

    Dover Downs is already building a larger hotel on the site in anticipation of increased interest due to the proposed sports betting laws.

    Do you ever get the feeling that the fix is in?

  3. anon says:

    Hmmm… now the toll increase looks like a stroke of genius.

  4. doctornick says:

    Looks like you have a bit of a scoop Liberalgeek.

    According to this story, Delaware’s public policy is now formulated in the conference rooms of Dover Downs by a cabal of rich guys who have such confidence in what the GA is going to do that they feel confident enought to talk to the press about it and invest in a big new hotel.

    Well, it had to be one of these guys:

    Henry Tippie, Denis McGlynn, Tim Horne, Ed Sutor, or Klaus M. Belohoubek.

    To bad we don’t have real investigative journalists here in Delaware. I would love to know who is really in charge.

  5. liberalgeek says:

    My first scoop! WooHoo!

  6. anon says:

    More details on the expansion here.

    a cabal of rich guys who have such confidence in what the GA is going to do

    There is no risk, no matter what the GA does. Remember, Joe Biden’s bankruptcy “reform” was only for the little guy – not corporate bankruptcys.

    I guarantee you the guys who built that hotel now sinking into the muck off Route 141 aren’t eating Hamburger Helper tonight.

    By the way – guess who owns that hotel now and is planning to open it? That’s right – Delaware Park (“but the fourth time, it stayed up!!”)

    By the way, fascinating story here about the financing for that hotel.

  7. anon says:

    Well done. Now sit back and enjoy the deafening silence from the Snooze Journal.

  8. happycon says:

    it’s not exactly breaking news…

    Sports Betting has been kicked around dover since PA and MD started talking about legalizing slots.

  9. anon says:

    A couple of years ago when there was some effort to put a casino on Wilmngton’s Riverfront, there was discussion of this in a couple of community groups. Basically, the message to our State Reps was, we could support betting IF it were attached to a hotel. with some planning to tie in businesses around it AND if they would implement sports betting to make the venue different.

    We were told that Gov Minner basically would not hear of betting of any kind in Wilmington, the unspoken bit being that she was protecting her Dover pals….

  10. doctornick says:

    it’s not exactly breaking news…

    Happycon,

    From where I sit, the breaking news is that public policy decisions are now being made by Dover Downs executives and not by our elected representatives.

    I know that your definition of Democracy is somewhat elastic, but hopefully you feel that is at least disquieting, if not unambiguously wrong.

  11. Oh come on. Since when is it news that our GA is “run” by special interests?
    e.g.
    Delamarva considers the recommendation of Minner’s consultants (flawed study) that its SISTER company, Connectiv’s bid for a gas lant is highly preferrable to wind or coal.

    Just as the Bushies et al let corps write law that the GOPer Congress voted in, so goes the Delaware way.

  12. happycon says:

    News flash:

    Gambling executive are in favor of more gambling.

    Car salesmen are in favor of new cars

    Restuarants are in favor of more eating

  13. doctornick says:

    Happycon,

    You don’t get off that easy. Your glib response is thin cover for the fact that you know you are wrong on this.

    Unless you are saying that you don’t mind that public policy decisions are now being made by Dover Downs executives.

    If that is the case, you need to relearn what the word “Democracy” means.

  14. happycon says:

    I am saying, I don’t believe public policy decisions are being made by Dover Downs executives.