NEWARK, Del. — Delaware becomes the only state east of the Mississippi River to allow betting on sports after the governor signed the legislation.

Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law Thursday.
Officials say they expect to have sports betting running in three months and table games such as poker, blackjack, craps and roulette, in play in no more than six months.
The sports lottery is key to Markell’s plan to address a projected shortfall of more than $600 million for the coming fiscal year.
But sports betting could face a legal challenge by professional sports leagues.
Delaware is one of only four states, along with Nevada, Montana and Oregon, grandfathered under a 1992 federal law that bans sports gambling.