Delaware Casinos Now Offer Legal Sports Betting, New Jersey Expected to Follow
Published June 12, 2018 by Elana K
On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, Delaware became the first state outside of Nevada to offer single-game sports betting at its land-based casinos.
On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, Delaware became the first state outside of Nevada to offer single-game sports betting at its land-based casinos. The first bet was placed by none-other than Delaware’s Governor Carney, who put $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Chicago Cubs that same Tuesday night. (He won, consequently).
Delaware was able to get sports betting underway so soon after the Supreme Court legalized it in May because the state had been preparing for the possibility for months. Delaware's 3 land-based casinos had been training staff and creating software packages well before the Supreme Court rendered its decision.
The Pioneering State of Delaware
While New Jersey and Nevada are often associated with land-based and online casinos, it was actually Delaware that became the first state to legalize online gambling back in 2012. (Nevada and New Jersey followed in 2013, and Pennsylvania approved an online gambling bill earlier this year.)
While the state’s revenue from online gambling is typically less than that of New Jersey and Nevada, Delaware still holds its own and is proud of its pioneering actions in the field of online gambling and sports betting.
Setting Realistic Goals
Part of Delaware’s philosophy is to keep expectations modest. With regards to sports betting, Governor Carney commented,
We have pretty modest expectations. There is going to be competition from New Jersey and the other states. That will keep bettors in their home areas as opposed to coming over here. It’s more of a tourism play to enhance the experience for the people who already come to Delaware.
New Jersey Sports Betting Expected Soon
Carney is right that New Jersey will soon present competition; the state Assembly and Senate approved a sports betting bill that is currently waiting for Governor Phil Murphy’s signature. Like Delaware, New Jersey had been anticipating the legalization of sports betting and already had an existing legislative framework in place.
New Jersey is currently the leading state when it comes to online gambling, and specifically in 2018, has been setting consecutive records for high revenue. Once the New Jersey sports betting bill is approved, it’s expected that the industry will bring in significant revenue as well.
