Best Betting Sites in Delaware — No Legal Sportsbooks Available
Although Delaware has had a legal retail sports betting market since 2018, there are no legal Delaware sports betting online options available. In this guide to the local betting market, we will cover a range of topics, such as the current laws, future outlook, and other legal betting options.
To ensure that our readers gamble responsibly and legally, we will only recommend licensed gambling operators on this website. Thye best betting sites Delaware offers are yet to arrive, so it’s important that you only wager at retail betting outlets. Failure to do so may incur harsh penalties for breaking strict gambling laws.
Are There Legal Gambling Options for Delaware Residents?
In 2018, Delaware became the first state in the USA to legalize sports betting. It was also one of the first states to launch legal online casinos and poker rooms, all of which are associated with its three racinos. In the upcoming sections, we have discussed the legal gambling alternatives to Delaware online sports betting.
Delaware Daily Fantasy Sports
In 2017, Delaware’s governor officially approved daily fantasy sports as a legal online gambling option. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are a great alternative to sports betting as they essentially allow players to earn cash prizes based on their successful predictions on sports players’ real-life weekly performances.
As a game of skill, we suggest you commit to plenty of research before making your fantasy drafts. Due to the state’s high operators fees, DraftKings and FanDuel are the only DFS Delaware sports betting apps available. If an online sports betting market is established, these operators would be the ideal option for bookmaking.
Offshore Betting Sites — Don’t Get Scammed!
Some Delawarians may be tempted to sign up to offshore betting sites such as Bovada, MyBookie, and BetOnline to place their online wagers. These sites exist in a legal grey area, as they are neither licensed and regulated nor technically outlawed. That said, we still suggest you avoid offshore betting sites.
Regulation ensures that operators adhere to the strictest safety, fairness, and responsible gambling requirements. Without this, you can’t be sure that the offshore betting site will guarantee that you will have fair odds or even pay out your winnings. In DE, it’s much safer to place your bets in person.
Land-Based Casino Gambling
Land-based casino gambling is legal in DE at all three of the state’s racetracks. Each racetrack varies widely, with the Bally’s Casino providing a resort holiday experience. You can enjoy a variety of gambling activities at these establishments, including video and jackpot slots, table games, and live poker.
There are also live sportsbooks at each of the casinos. Fortunately, locals do not have to go to casinos to place sports bets, as all lottery retailers can accept wagers. You are able to make single bets and future bets in the state as well, whether they be on major league games or collegiate division events.
Racetrack Betting
As mentioned above, there are three racetracks in DE, all of which host casino-style gambling and a Delaware sportsbook. These are the Bally’s Casino Resort in Dover, Delaware Park in Newark, and Harrington Raceway and Casino in Harrington. There are no legal off-track betting options available.
The racetracks regularly host racing events, and the Bally’s Casino is also home to a NASCAR racing track for added excitement. Delaware Park is the only of the tracks to host thoroughbred and Arabian racing, while the other two host harness races. All tracks have full simulcasting capabilities to allow for out-of-state race betting.
Poker Rooms
Both online and live poker are legal in Delaware as long as you are playing with the state’s racinos. Delaware Park is the most established of the poker venues, with its large room hosting roughly 40 tables. At the Bally’s Casino in Dover, players are able to compete in round-the-clock tournaments alongside single cash game players.
The Harrington Raceway is perfect for low-limit games and it also hosts weekly tournaments. All of the state’s legal online casinos are linked to their counterpart land-based casinos. Each is a clone of the other and hosts online poker rooms that can be accessed by players all over the state.
Other States with Legal Online Sports Betting
In the absence of Delaware online sports betting, some players may want to visit neighboring states that offer legal online sportsbooks. Fortunately, Delaware borders both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, both of which are renowned for having the best online sports betting options in the country.
Virginia and West Virginia also offer regulated online sports betting sites. It is totally legal to travel to states with regulated online gambling markets and place wagers. However, you will need to stay within state lines to make online bets, as geoblocking technology will be used to prevent wagers once you have left the state.
Online Sports Betting in Delaware — The Situation Might Change
It’s difficult to tell how a legal Delaware sports betting site would operate if the current laws were to change. The state could either add a sports betting platform to its three lottery-regulated online casinos or it may open the market to commercial operators such as DraftKings or FanDuel.
What is certain is that the activities would be completely safe thanks to licensing from the Delaware Lottery. The state lottery currently regulates the retail betting market and is in charge of overseeing operators. It upholds fairness and safety laws and also ensures player safety with support for problem gambling organizations and underage gambling prevention.
We expect that players will be able to wager on the same sports and events that are currently permitted in the retail betting sphere at the best betting sites Delaware has in the future.
This includes wagering on the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL as well as NCAA division games. The best betting sites Delaware offers may also provide live betting opportunities and special bonuses.
If you’d like to know more, check out our guide to online betting in the US.
Delaware Gambling Laws
| Betting Type | Law |
|---|---|
| Sports Betting | Legal |
| Online Sports Betting | Legal - Not Available |
| Land-based Casino | Legal |
| Online Casino | Legal |
| Poker | Legal |
| Racetrack Betting | Legal |
| California Gambling Age | 21+ for casino games, 18+ for lotto and horse race betting |
Delaware’s gambling laws are covered by several pieces of legislation. Most relevant to this article is the Delaware state code, which outlines the legal gambling activities in DE. It has been amended several times as the law has changed, and also covers topics such as the minimum gambling age and what constitutes illegal gambling.
Delaware Code 3-10001 states that the minimum gambling age for horse race betting and the lottery is 21 years old. For land-based and online casino games and sports betting, players must be over the age of 21. This is quite standard for legal gambling states across the USA.
Another important law is the Gaming Competitiveness Act. This law gave the Delaware Lottery power to sell lottery tickets online and launch online casinos. When this was signed, Delaware became the first state in the country to permit online gambling. Several years earlier, the Delaware Lottery was also given approval to accept parlay sport bets.
Delaware is therefore the second state after Nevada to permit legal sports betting. Technically, online sports betting is legal in DE, though establishing Delaware betting sites has been considered too costly for the low-population state. Without regulated gambling options, there is no guaranteed safe way to bet online.
As the table above shows, Delawareans have plenty of gambling options, and is considered to be one of the most gambling-friendly states in the USA. The best betting sites Delaware players can enjoy offer slots, table games, and poker online. Players can also buy lottery tickets and play DFS.
History of Gambling in DE
Delaware has one of the richest and most progressive gambling histories in the country, and it’s clear that residents are quick to support any advancements to the industry. The first instance of gambling appeared with the creation of horse race tracks in the 1760s. While wagering on races wasn’t legal, it was highly popular.
It wasn’t until 1933 that the Delaware Racing Commission was established to oversee the industry. Pari-mutuel wagering was legalized shortly after, as was the approval of the Delaware Park Raceway. It wouldn’t be until 1969 that the Dover Downs raceway was built. In 1957, bingo games were approved for charitable fundraising.
In 1974, the Delaware Lottery was approved. Initially only offering scratch cards and jackpot prize draw games, the lottery has since become the regulator of sports betting and casino gambling. Due to a loophole, Delaware was one of the only states that could offer parlay betting through its lottery system, which began in 2009.
Other important milestones include the creation of Delaware Park’s racino industry in 1994, the legalization of online casino gambling in 2012, and the approval of DFS betting in 2017. The most recent gambling-related law was when retail sports betting was approved after the repeal of PASPA in 2018.
The Future of Sports Betting in Delaware
When sports betting was legalized in 2018, the law also left room for the state’s online casinos to establish an online sports betting network. However, the sites have yet to launch betting platforms and have announced no plans to do so. The primary concern is that the process may not be cost effective.
Despite its small population size, online casino gambling generated roughly $10 million in revenues in 2021. This was a 25% climb since 2020, indicating that there is a big demand for online gambling options in the state. Until there is progress on the matter, only players in legal sports betting states can place legal wagers online.
You can rest assured that we’ll bring you the latest on the best betting sites Delaware has to offer if and when sportsbooks arrive in the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have any more queries about the online sports betting situation in Delaware and other related matters, keep reading. Below, we have answered some commonly asked answers about the sports betting industry in Delaware as well as topics such as the minimum gambling age and offshore betting.
⚖️ Are online gambling and sports betting legal in Delaware?
While online casino gambling and retail betting is legal in DE, there are currently no legal online sports betting options in the state. You will need to visit one of the state’s three racinos or a lottery retailer to place your sports bets until the casinos progress with building online betting platforms.
🛡️ What is the legal gambling age in Delaware?
The Delaware gambling law outlines two legal gambling ages in DE. Players need to be 18 years or older to partake in DFS, horse race betting, or retail and online lottery games. For retail and online casino gambling and sports betting, players will need to be over the age of 21.
🚨 Are offshore betting sites legal for US players?
While offshore betting sites aren’t technically illegal in Delaware, they also aren’t legal. This is because they have not been regulated by the state lottery. Without regulation, there is no way to guarantee that you will earn your payouts and that odds are fair. Revenues also do not support the state. We recommend you avoid offshore betting.
🔎 Can I play at another state’s online sportsbook if I am based in Delaware?
Although you are free to visit nearby legal online betting states to place online wagers, you will not be able to place online bets while still located in Delaware. This is because neighbor states use geo blocking technology to ensure that only bets placed within state lines are approved.