Chris Wassel
Delaware Stays Retail Betting Course Even Now?
It is a strange time in the Delaware sports betting landscape. Well, not really. That is unless it applies to the state of Delaware. While other states around them have opened up to online sports betting, Delaware has not. Honestly, Delaware has even kept things status quo to a fault. In sports betting legal news, there just seems to be little hope that Delaware expands much in 2022.
Few states have stayed the retail betting course like Delaware, period. When the PAPSA was repealed, Delaware had a plan to get their sports betting platform up and running quickly, They executed their plans to perfection, had a nice niche in the market, and then the floodgates opened. Most states might have been apt to evolve but Delaware stubbornly has not done so.
The question keeps getting asked, however. Handle and revenue just seem not to matter much to the state at this point. There are quite a few pundits who think something may change sometime in 2022 but for all the talk, it seemingly remains talk. Until something concrete comes, all that is left is the chatter. Some say where there is smoke, there is fire. However, in Delaware, it resembles more embers that were long snuffed out.
It's almost as if Delaware does it correctly by using their own lottery infrastructure to manage sports betting, you know?
— midnightowl (@midnigh73062885) January 23, 2022
One can truly look at it this way. Delaware has a method that works for them and while it does not make the most money, it again works. The key is it works for the state. is that at the expense of sports bettors? That depends on one’s opinion.
Options for sports betting in Delaware
So, Delaware does keep this simple to a fault. For better or worse, options for sports betting in Delaware are simplified like this. There are three retail betting casinos where wagerers can bet their dollars. They are the following.
- Delaware Park Casino
- Dover Downs Hotel And Casino
- Harrington Raceway And Casino
The sports betting landscape in Delaware keeps things easy and yet has enough options. All three casinos use the lines from William Hill Sportsbook. That is under the umbrella of Caesar’s. One good thing is that wagering is open to international betting markets as those do expand on a seemingly daily basis. Again, there is one other rule. In-state wagering on Delaware sports is strictly prohibited. That applies to college teams only.
There is the sports lottery too. The lottery operates like the old sports tickets that some older sports bettors know well. You pay a certain amount of money and if you hit at a certain rate, you win money. This is also something that is easily regulated by Delaware. It is a small state after all. Their plan was to create something that generated revenue without mushrooming into something unmanageable.
Most residents have grown tired of the same old sports betting in Delaware. However, legislators are not quick to act. They see the writing on the wall. The philosophy is the adage that smaller is better or less is more. It does not help the average bettor.
Other states exacerbate Delaware sports bettors’ malaise
It is an important thing to express that other states are only adding to the Delaware malaise. Residents and even some tourists kind of wonder just what is the holdup here. Delaware made legal waves to become the first state to have legal sports betting only to stop at a point and not move? That is something, even three-plus years later, that leaves sports bettors with a rather sour taste in their mouths.
Delaware residents and tourists definitely are seeing red with this news. They look at neighboring states like Maryland or even Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It has to eat at them in many different ways. The average wagerer is not looking at things like handle or revenue. They are seeing what bets they can make and going well, where do I have to drive today? That person sees a man or woman in New Jersey placing a bet in their pajamas and thinks why can’t I?
Running Top 10 December #SportsBetting handle by state:
1 #NewJersey: $1.23B
2 #MICHIGAN: $514.63M
3 #Indiana: $463.02M
4 #Iowa: $266.52M
5 #Connecticut: $150.07M
6 #WestVirginia: $57.6M
7 #Oregon: $33.74M
8 #NewYork: $21.13M
9 #Maryland: $16.55M
10 #Delaware: $12.64M— Chris Altruda (@AlTruda73) January 19, 2022
The vision of seeing masses of gamblers spending lots of money or worse moving to other states is troubling. While sports betting in Delaware is frustrating for some, the system is efficient to the state. Obviously, Delaware is a small state in sports betting but does represent a noticeable amount of money when it comes to tourism revenue. There is quite a bit to do and is not just a gateway to Maryland, Virginia, and the South.
And the malaise will only increase for sports bettors. With Maryland expanding and now New York in the mix, do some residents ponder setting up summer houses again in New Jersey and neighboring states? There looks to be little hope that mobile sports betting in Delaware could be near, people are almost resigned to the fact that 2022 will be the same status quo.
Any Delaware sports betting movement possible in 2022?
Again, some do keep asking the question. When does online sports betting start taking place in Delaware? There are plenty of NCAA Basketball betting sites that want in on this. After all, March Madness and Conference Tournaments are just six to eight weeks away. Time will fly quickly.
Those who wager money will have to just go into other states for now when it comes to online sports betting. Talking to legislators, residents, and sports experts alike reveals that Delaware is just not budging. For what it is worth, their system works for the state. Get in the car and wager is their way and that is how it will stay in 2022.
