It’s official, the State of Delaware has become the fourth state joining Nevada, Oregon, and Montana on the short list of states allowing wagering on sports. These four states are legally exempt from the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a federal law which prohibits states from being in the bookmaking business.

Due to the current economic deficit in the Delaware, Governor Jack Markell has approved this action siting the expected $50 – $100 million the sports betting can bring in to the state. The NFL has long warned that they will sue the state of Delaware and is now taking action. The NFL is being joined by the NBA, MLB, NHL, and NCAA.

Betting on sports has become quite popular and there are many choices for sports betting lines to act on. Many companies have produced lots of income for states in taxes collected on this bookmaking business, but the various leagues feel that the gambling takes away from the integrity of the sport.

The NCAA released a statement saying, “The NCAA recognizes the economic challenges facing the State of Delaware, however, legalized betting on college games will provide more harm than good.”

Personally, as a fan of betting on sports, using online bookies, and travelling to Las Vegas to visit the sportsbooks at different casinos, I have no issue with the passing of this law and think that California should enact a similar law in order to get out of it’s budget deficit.