Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
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Jack Markell's Gamble
Earlier this week, I told you about Jan Brewer's gamble. She isn't the only new governor placing a risky bet. Delaware's Jack Markell is too, although his gamble, unlike Brewer's, is literal, not metaphorical. ESPN has the scoop:
ESPN The Magazine has learned that sometime next week, according to a statehouse source, Markell will introduce a proposal which, for the first time in more than 30 years, makes gambling on sports legal east of the Mississippi River. The plan, which could be approved by the state legislature as early as April, would likely be operational come fall, just in time for the NFL season.
...
The newly elected Markell, who has spent the past several weeks listening to proponents of gambling as well its opponents, is much more of a pragmatist than a betting revolutionary. He hasn't been to Vegas in nearly 15 years and almost never hits the race track/casinos (called racinos) in his home state. But the way he sees it is this: Delaware already allows horse racing and slots. And with the state currently $700M in the hole, offering the Pats minus-six over the Jets when bettors come by to drop a nickel in the slots isn't amoral. As he told me a couple months ago, "you can't really be half-pregnant."
(Hat tip: First Read)
My first thought: This is very bad news for Nevada, which already has massive economic and budgetary problems.
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