Is it worth the gamble?

That's the question Delaware Governor Jack Markell is trying to answer these days as he weighs the pros and cons of legalizing sports betting in his state. According to a statehouse source, ESPN The Magazine is reporting that sometime next week 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.

ESPN's Chad Millman writes,

Markell's proposal calls for a statewide sports lottery that only allows parlay bets. In a parlay, gamblers have to get two bets right in order to win. It's an idea that has been brewing in Delaware for a while, long before the economy imploded and the state found itself with a budget shortfall of $700M. In fact, a proposal to allow gambling on sports died in the state legislature last year, when then governor Ruth Ann Minner made it clear she'd veto a resulting bill.

With the state $700M in the red, taking a risk may be worth any potential losses. Horse racing and slots are already legal. Why not add sports to the legal ledger?

Should Delaware open up the sports books? Let us know what you think.

Behind the Bets [ESPN The Magazine]