As the new year approaches, people should have many reasons to get exicted. A new president will take office. The Baltimore Orioles will find new and interesting ways to ruin baseball. And Delaware might give you one more reason (making the list three items long) to visit.

The First State has beaches and tax-free shopping, but if new Gov. Jack Markell has his way, visitors to the tiny state will also get a chance to wager on sports soon.

Delaware has had slots for a few years now, but this new move will answer the addition of slot parlors to Pennsylvania last year and Maryland in the coming years after voters there approved the machines in November. Sports betting is allowed in Delaware because they had some form of it in the 1970s, making them eligible to resume the practice under a 1992 law that banned the practice in 46 states. Nevada is the only state offering sports betting – Oregon and Montana are also eligible.

The Delaware plan wouldn’t allow people to bet on a single event. You would have to place a “parlay” bet, which is fine with me. That actually makes it more interesting because you can have some fun. Of course, it also increases your chance of losing.

We vacation in Delaware every summer so I would be inclined to place a bet or two during our week down there. I have visited a slots parlor once or twice, but don’t enjoy that as much. They are adding video roulette so I might change that in 2009.

And the Delaware news has New Jersey pushing for sports betting there. Which makes me wonder how close we are to getting a more open attitude about gambling over all. Sure, the NBA ref was cheating, but that’s the exception not the rule. That stuff can happen even without legalized gambling, so let’s open the doors so people like me can actually play poker without having to make a long drive or plane ride.