Delaware Sports Betting and Gambling

Delaware Online Gambling Regulations

The Delaware Lottery Office controls all gambling activities, except horse racing, in the state. It enacts regulations and grants licenses to gambling providers to conduct their business lawfully in the state.

The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) regulates the gambling industry as the state’s official gaming commission. It also supports the DE Lottery in evaluating licensing requests and overseeing gaming establishments.

They have sole jurisdiction for investigating criminal violations connected to the state’s gaming laws and practices. Their goal is to protect the reputation of the DE gaming sector.

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission and Delaware Harness Racing Commission regulate the state’s horse racing industry. Their objectives include protecting, preserving, and promoting horse racing, making sure licensing and patron decisions are fair, and ensuring fairness in wagering on horse races.

You must be at least 18 years old to play the lottery and pari-mutuel in Delaware. The gambling age for online and live casinos, video lottery, sports betting, and other gambling activities is 21 years old.

Delaware's Gambling History

Delaware has a long history that dates as far back as the 1700s. The first type of gambling in the state took place in horse races. The first race track in Delaware was built in 1760. However, although betting was widespread, it was not legal. It wasn't until 1937 that pari-mutuel betting became legal in the state. This followed the establishment of the Delaware Racing Commission in 1933.

The Delaware Lottery was established in 1974 to create funds for the state. This was quickly followd by the first Delaware Lottery game in March 1975. The Delaware Lottery later allowed video lottery at racing tracks in 1995.

Table games became legal in the state in 2010. As a result of this, the three horse racing tracks in the state were converted into racinos, which combine a casino and a racetrack. In 2012, the state’s legislature enacted the Gaming Competitiveness Act, which legalized online casino gambling and poker. This made Delaware the first state to legalize online gambling. In 2014, the state signed an online poker compact with Nevada. In 2017, the Interactive Fantasy Contest Act was enacted to legalize daily fantasy sports.

Sports betting became legal in Delaware in 2018, shortly after the US Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) 1992 unconstitutional. Prior to the 2018 ruling, Delaware was one of few states that were permitted certain exemptions from the PAPSA, which prohibited sports betting nationwide. Delaware continued to permit three-team parlays on NFL games since the state had previously permitted certain sports wagers. Delaware was one of the first states to legalize sports betting after PASPA was repealed in 2018, accepting the first online sports wagers in June 2018.