Delaware Suffered a Major Fall for February Sports Betting

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | April 7, 2022
Delaware Suffered a Major Fall for February Sports Betting

When it comes to people laying down money on sports in Delaware, there’s been some great returns this past year. However, things haven’t been all gravy, as Delaware suffered a major fall for February sports betting. This was expected in terms of the month-over-month numbers, as January is always going to be massive for Delaware sports betting. That’s because of the NFL playoffs being in full swing.

Once February arrives, though, all people have to bet on is the Super Bowl for one Sunday of the month. After that, things aren’t widely available, and the expectation is always going to be that the numbers will dip. However, no one saw this kind of a stat to arrive. Per a local report, Delaware saw a total handle for February of $5.435 million. That was down from more than $12 million in January.

Not only that, but the revenue for January was $1.9 million. For February, it dropped to an anemic $54,000. That’s going to always sting for Delaware officials, but again, you’ve got to figure things are going to be low in February with the NFL action being put in the rear-view mirror. Things will be tough to match after a January that’s filled with NFL action. On top of that, the NBA is in full swing too.

Regardless of that, Delaware has to find a way to keep things up for February moving forward. That revenue of around $50,000 is simply unacceptable for the long haul. What makes things difficult here, though, is that the weather is also on the decline and with no online sports betting being available to Delaware citizens, that’s always going to make things even tougher overall.

Why is online sports betting still not in Delaware?

People often ask themselves why is online sports betting still not in Delaware? Despite sports betting being made legal in 2018 for the state, there are no active online sportsbooks able to operate. This has been the case for four years now, and it’s unclear when things will be changing. This is something that people all over Delaware are not happy about, and they want things to be mixed up.

Without online sports betting in place, people in Delaware are only authorized to make sports bets at three commercial casinos. This makes things even more difficult for citizens to check out the different sports odds, including NFL Super Bowl odds in February, and make their wagers. With things being so limited, it’s no wonder that numbers are low at some points.

Despite people’s complaints, it’s unknown if new initiatives will be presented in the near future or not for people in Delaware to make online bets. It’d of course be a game-changer. Instead of people having to drive to a casino to place a sports bet, they’d be able to do so from home on their mobile device or tablet. Heck, they could do it from work or the park if they wanted to.

With online sports betting becoming so popular around the country, Delaware is behind the times by not having this go through. Most people feel lucky that they can at least bet on sports, as states like Texas and California still haven’t made that leap yet. With that said, things would be made 100 times better and easier if online sports betting became an option. We’ll see if that ever happens for folks.

Baseball season could be big for Delaware sports betting

Right now, especially after the tough February, the hope is that baseball season could be big for Delaware sports betting over the next few months. Opening Day is arriving on April 7, and there’s so much darn intrigue this season for the Major Leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers hold the top World Series odds, and you better believe people in Delaware will be eyeing them this campaign.

However, people in Delaware – which doesn’t have a pro baseball team – will always keep a close eye on the Philadelphia Phillies, as well as the teams over in New York. With the Phillies, this team has disappointed in recent seasons, but there’s plenty of optimism for 2022. That’s because Bryce Harper is determined to get this team back on the right track.

In terms of betting, you better believe people will be watching the Phillies too. With the weather going to be beautiful in Delaware this spring and summer, it will give people even more reason to get outdoors, and potentially stop by a casino to place their bets as well. Summer months have been good for sports betting in Delaware. That should be the case once again this time around.

While it would absolutely help if online sports betting was a possibility, Delaware is going to have to make due with what they’ve got available now. It’ll be a fun baseball season and the monster games should help Delaware’s sports betting revenue as well. We’ll have to wait and see what the numbers are like in the coming months, but there’s no way they’ll drop like what we saw for February. 

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university.