Sports betting and table games are now legal in Delaware after a bill passed by the state senate on Tuesday was signed into law by Gov. Jack Markell. The bill will supposedly increase the state revenue and generate money to help with the state's financial problems. The impact will be felt at the university as students, athletes and coaches will all face consequences in light of the legislation as the NCAA has stated they will no longer allow postseason games in the state of Delaware.
The state hopes to bring in an estimated $55 million in revenue with the tax on sports betting, which in terms of state size would be the largest deficit of all states, according to Delaware Athletic Director Edgar Johnson.
"As a citizen of the state of Delaware, I salute the governor for doing everything possible to raise our revenue," Johnson said. "As Athletic Director, I don't agree when it penalizes our coaches and athletes."
Johnson said the legalization of sports betting will directly affect the university.
"There won't be any more home playoff games in the first round and we can no longer bid on opening round games for women's volleyball or men's lacrosse," he said. "A specific number of athletic events will now always be on the road."
Some students don't understand why the bill was passed because of the negative consequences it will bring. Christopher Fols, a sophomore finance major, believes that the controversial bill won't be able to fix everything so quickly and athletics will suffer severely.
"An economic recession can't be fixed that fast and it can cause students to get nervous about money, leading to gambling," Fols said. "Recruitment for sports will go down, as well as the morale of many UD teams."
Fols, 20, said that individually, academic performances will suffer and college kids will be blowing money.
Johnson said as an institution the university must be neutral because some of its money is provided by the state. However, he said penalizing its athletics is a mistake.
He said those punished would be innocent students, athletes and coaches, all people who have no say in government policies.
While the state senate is relying on sports betting to cure the state's deficit, freshman Joe Cruz doesn't think the plan was organized well.
Cruz, an exercise science major, said this approach is not the best way to deal with financial issues because it has the potential to create habitual gamblers.
"It's a quick way out," Cruz said. "They aren't looking down the line to the problems this could cause in the future."
In addition, Cruz said not having postseason play at the university will severely hurt school spirit.
"Now, if my football team goes to the playoffs, I have to go on the road to watch them play," Cruz said.
Encouraging people to bet is not something Johnson thinks a state should endorse. He added that bringing an unwholesome activity to the state is a major negative aspect of the bill.
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