Delaware Launches Online Sports Betting with BetRivers as Exclusive Platform
With the breakup of Delaware's alliance with 888 Holdings, BetRivers assumes control and ushers in a new era for online sports betting in the state. A new era of digital gambling in the First State is ushered in by Delaware, which becomes the 28th state to legalize online sports betting and sees BetRivers take over the management of its three casinos' iGaming sites.
BetRivers Launches Delaware Online Sports Betting, Marks State’s 28th Legal Online Sportsbook
The first online sportsbook in Delaware opened last week with the launch of BetRivers Sportsbook by Rush Street Gaming.
The Delaware Lottery declared in August that BetRivers would be its upcoming iGaming partner, following their split from 888 Holdings. Delaware's online casino has been operated by 888 since the state lottery legalized online gaming in June 2012. October 31, 2013, was the date the casinos opened for business.
BetRivers launched for business in the First State this past Wednesday, December 27. This agreement marks the beginning of Delaware's legalized online sports gambling, as the state had not previously permitted 888 to handle online sports bets.
Delaware is the twenty-eighth state where online sports betting is permitted.
Delaware was the first state to allow single game betting, following Nevada. This occurred following the May 2018 overturn of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) by the U.S. Supreme Court. The state's three casinos—Bally'sDover,Delaware Park Casino, and Harrington Casino & Raceway—offered in-person sports betting in June 2018.
Delaware's Evolution of Betting: BetRivers' Online Entry, Parlay Legacy, and Casino Structure
Delaware was one of only four states exempt from the federal sports betting law prior to PASPA's repeal.
Delaware had already legalized parlay sports betting in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush signed PASPA into law. This meant that sports betting operations that allow customers to combine multiple bets into one could continue to be operated by the state. The Mid-Atlantic region was a fan base for Delaware's parlay cards.
The three casinos in Delaware are all privately held, but they cooperate with the state lottery. Technically speaking, video lottery terminals are what slot machines in casinos are. About 38% of the machine revenue goes to the lottery, and 44% goes to the casinos.
The remaining funds are used for other expenses, vendor fees (7%), and the horse racing sector (11%).
Eighty percent of your winnings at a table game go to the casino. They donate 5% to the horsemen and 15% to the lottery.
Additionally, the Delaware Lottery is responsible for monitoring all sports betting in the state, including online betting as of late. William Hill was replaced by BetRivers as the lottery's retail sportsbook partner.
The Delaware Lottery consented to allow the sportsbook to accept bets online as part of their agreement with BetRivers.
In Delaware, Rush Street believes it will be luckier than it was in Connecticut.
The company's $170 million contract with the Connecticut Lottery to manage sports betting for the state agency both in-person and online expired in April. The company's pre-market business projections had not even approached their halfway point.
Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun's partners, DraftKings and FanDuel, outperformed Rush's SugarHouse Sportsbook in Connecticut.
BetRivers Powers Delaware: Live iGaming and Online Sports Betting!
BetRivers debuted concurrently with the online gaming platforms of the three casinos, which redirected their URLs to the Rush Street company. Bally's, Delaware Park, and Harrington's online casinos are currently managed by BetRivers.
BetRivers will oversee the state's online casinos for the first five years, with the possibility to extend that period.
iGaming in Delaware helps the General Fund of Delaware.
Only six states allow online gambling, and Delaware is one of them. The other six are West Virginia, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
