A quick post during this busy time of year. Here are some sports betting headlines that should make for a happy new year for sports betting fans:

• Delaware likely to OK sports betting – Delaware Governor-elect Jack Markell is making the legalization of sports betting one of his top priorities as he comes into office in January. Markell will make sports betting in the state legal, but will restrict bettors to parlay wagers. Despite reading several articles on the subject, it’s still unclear to me why this restriction will be imposed. It’s interesting to note that only Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon are eligible to offer legal sports betting to their citizens due to a grandfather clause in a 1992 Federal law that banned sports betting completely for the rest of the country.
• Sweden to Announce End of Gaming Monopoly Today – “Sweden’s Ministry of Finance will unveil its much anticipated proposal for a new lottery law today at a presentation in Stockholm. Jan Nyren, a lawyer for the police authority and the man charged with formulating the proposal, is expected to announce the end of Sweden’s gambling monopoly in favour of a licensing system open to foreign operators, as well as the break up and sell-off of Svenska Spel.” (quote from Gaming Intelligence Group)
• Free Sports Betting Site to be the First to Legally Pay-Out in Cash – A new site seems to have come up with a clever way to get around the U.S. online sports betting ban. Users of the site make bets on sporting events with virtual dollars and each week the most successful bettors win real cash prizes. According to their press release, “Everything is 100 percent free and legal in the US!” I wonder if the banks charged with regulating financial transactions under the UIGEA will agree. Check this new site out at BetAgainstMe.com.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, and winning holiday season!