Delaware has always been known as “The First State.” And with plenty of good reason. It holds that distinction because it was, in fact, the first state in the union. But most important of all in the eyes of sports gamblers is another first. Delaware is the first state in the United States to join Nevada in legalized sports betting. The first bet taken in Delaware was on June 5, 2018, when Governor John Carney bet $10 on a baseball game, and from that point on, legalized sports betting has proven to be a smashing success. Let’s take a look at how sports betting works in Delaware.
Delaware was cleared to pass a law for legalized sports betting after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the federal sports betting ban known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act had to be overturned. It was a landmark decision as all of the major professional sports leagues and the NCAA were adamantly opposed to sports gambling being expanded from beyond the state of Nevada. The major pro leagues and the NCAA spent a considerable amount of money fighting in court to stop the spread of legalized sports gambling through the years.
Sports gambling options include straight wagers (pointspread bets on a single team), totals (also known as over/under) wagers, money line wagers, prop wagers, futures wagers, parlay bets, and teasers. Delaware does an excellent job of offering all of the sports that gamblers genuinely care about. You can wager on pro and college football, pro and college basketball, pro hockey, pro baseball, soccer, auto racing, boxing, mixed martial arts, and golf. There are also daily fantasy sports betting options in Delaware, The legal age for sports betting in Delaware is 21.
Delaware Sports Betting News
The Sports betting handle of the 2021 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers set a record for wagering handle. Delaware was at the forefront of this surge. As the “First State,” Delaware appropriately enough took the lead in sports gambling activity from the start. Delaware lacks major league or big-time college sports programs. This trait is seen as a positive in the world of sports betting. Gamblers view the state as a place where you can get a more honest betting line not influenced by local fans.
Delaware Mobile Sports Betting and Apps
Currently, online and mobile sports betting in Delaware is legal. However, it is not yet launched. Part of the problem is that Delaware believes that online sports gambling is too expensive to operate. The pandemic was thought to be a potential opening, but that did not come to be. Only retail outlets offer actual sports betting at this time. Those are Delaware Park Casino, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway and Casino.
There is not yet a specific date for when online sports betting will be available in Delaware. For the time being, gamblers must travel to nearby Pennsylvania or New Jersey for legalized online sports gambling.
While mobile sports betting is not yet available in Delaware, it is likely to be established in the future. The state first wanted to establish credibility with the public about sports betting and develop a clientele for it before venturing into mobile wagering. What is interesting about mobile wagering in the state of Delaware is that it is indeed legal but just no being offered at the moment.
The Delaware Lottery handles all regulatory responsibilities within the state of Delaware. The Delaware Lottery has a website that goes into all the details about sports wagering, including house rules and regulations.
Delaware was cleared to pass a law for legalized sports betting after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the federal sports betting ban known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act had to be overturned. It was a landmark decision as all of the major professional sports leagues and the NCAA were adamantly opposed to sports gambling being expanded from beyond the state of Nevada. The major pro leagues and the NCAA spent a considerable amount of money fighting in court to stop the spread of legalized sports gambling through the years.
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