Delaware Becomes First State to Legalise Sports Betting
After the monumental ruling legalising sports betting in the US, Delaware has become to first state to take advantage and implement the new rules. Sports bets will be taken at three locations in the state from 5 June.
Delaware is the first state to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling last month. © Pexels.
The United States is set to launch its first open sports betting markets outside the state of Nevada following the lifting of a de facto ban on sports gambling.
Delaware has taken the initiative and become to first state to legalise sports betting after the Supreme Courts ruling last month, when The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed.
Consumers in Delaware wanting to place bets on sports will have three locations to choose from. Currently, sports bets will be taken at Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and Harrington Raceway & Casino.
The move is a little ahead of schedule, with Governor Carney stating last month that it aimed to offer sports wagers by the end of June.
Speaking about the move, Governor Carney said:
Delaware has all necessary legal and regulatory authority to move forward with a full-scale sports gaming operation, and we look forward to next week’s launch… We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see first-hand what our state has to offer.– John Carney, Governor of Delaware.
Delaware not new to sports betting
There were already some exceptions to the PASPA rule that means sports betting isn’t entirely new to the state. Alongside Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana all had some exceptions which allowed sports betting in specific cases.
Delaware already offered Parlay betting on the NFL due to a PASPA exception.
It’s not yet clear if betting on college sporting events, which are huge in the US, will be offered. Currently, state lottery regulations mean that bets taken on the state’s two Division I colleges – Delaware state and the University of Delaware – are forbidden, although this may change shortly in the future.
