A full array of legal sports betting in Delaware is finally ready for launch. Aptly nicknamed “The First State”, Delaware will begin to offer single-game wagering to its residents at 1:30 pm eastern time on Tuesday, June 5th, making it the first state outside of Nevada to offer legal sports betting in the United States in over 25 years. The long delay in expanded legal sports betting in Delaware is thanks to the recently overturned federal law, PASPA.
SCOTUS overturned the highly controversial PASPA legislation on May 14th, 2018, clearing the way for legal Delaware sports wagering. Prior to SCOTUS’s decision, Delaware was one of four states that allowed for limited sports wagering. They ran what essentially was an NFL parlay.
Delaware was able to make such a quick transition to full legal sports betting thanks to a prior attempt in 2009 to expand wagering options in the state. The only legal roadblock that the legislation had faced at the time was PASPA. Now that SCOTUS has put that pesky piece of legislation to rest, Representatives from Delaware, including Governor John Carney, agree that there is no longer anything standing in the way of legal sports betting in the state.
Now that Delaware will be able to offer a full range of single-game wagering, it will be run through their already highly effective lottery system. Legal sports betting in Delaware will be available at all of the casinos within the state. Delaware has three casinos: Delaware Park, located in Wilmington; Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, located in Dover; and Harrington Raceway & Casino, in Harrington. Wagering will become available at 1:30 pm, ET at all three locations. To help bettors, the Delaware Lottery has published a guide to sports betting online. It explains all of the different forms of legal sports betting available in the state.
In Delaware, you’ll be able to bet on basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, and auto racing. But there are a few things that you cannot do when it comes to legal sports betting in Delaware. You will not be able to bet on any Delaware-based sports teams. As there are no professional teams based in the state, this shouldn’t be too big of a blow to sports fans. What you may have noticed being left off of this list are two of the most popular sports to bet on – college football and basketball.
State legislators have confirmed that Delaware sports books plan to eventually offer a wide variety of lines on both collegiate sports, but for the time being, have left them off the list. Legal Delaware sports betting also has a new age limit. While the legal age to buy a lottery ticket in Delaware is 18, state legislators have decided to set the legal age to bet on sports in Delaware at 21. The final restriction sports betting Delaware residents face is that they must make the trip to casinos in order to place their wagers, as sportsbooks will not be available anywhere else in the state.
This could change, however, as Delaware reaps the benefits of legal sports betting. They are perfectly poised for a Nevada like expansion, which would allow for sports betting to be available anywhere lottery tickets are sold. As one of the largest state lottery systems in the country right now, Delaware has lottery tickets available at truck stops, convenience stores, and even bars. You can only guess how wide-spread this would make sportsbooks in the state. Delaware is taking it one step at a time, though, making sure that everything is done legally and properly.
Financial secretary Rick Geisenberger, who gave statements to the press in early May on the matter of legal Delaware sports betting, says that “Over time, if that’s what people are looking for, that’s what we’ll offer,” in regards to expansions.
For the last few months, Delaware casinos have been preparing for the opening of legal sportsbooks for months. “We have worked closely with Delaware’s casinos to train lottery and casino staff in preparation for a launch of expanded sports betting, and Delaware is prepared to move forward,” said Geisenberger. Each staff member you encounter will be ready to help you in all aspects of legal sports betting in Delaware, so residents, get ready to place your bets.