Online sports betting comes to Delaware
Sports betting has been allowed in person since 2018 at Delaware’s three racetracks/casinos, but it can now be done online and through an phone app operated by BetRivers.
Rush Street Interactive Inc., parent company of BetRivers, was selected by the Delaware State Lottery in August as the vendor for Delaware’s online gaming business.
“Rush Street Interactive has established itself as a leading innovator in the industry, and is a respected iGaming and sports betting company,” said Helene Keeley, director of the Delaware Lottery, in a press release. “We are impressed not only with RSI’s successes in other jurisdictions, including neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but also its strong commitment to responsible gambling practices.”
The contract is for five years, renewable for additional one-year terms for five years pending regulatory approvals, according to Rush Street.
For nearly a decade starting in 2009, Delaware was the only state east of Mississippi to offer parlay betting on NFL games – an opportunity grandfathered by the U.S. Supreme Court because Delaware law in the 1970s allowed for a brief sports lottery. Nevada was the only other state to offer full-scale gambling during that time.
But by 2018, that changed with the U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened up full-scale betting for all states. Delaware took advantage early to offer expanded wagering, but neighboring states soon caught up and surpassed Delaware with online betting options.
Delaware currently offers video poker, roulette and blackjack table games from 888 and slot machine games from 888, SG, NextGen and Lightning Box. “We would like to expand this offering to include table and video lottery games from a wider range of game manufacturers,” officials said in an addendum to the request for proposal.
However, officials repeatedly said at this time Delaware does not intend to offer live dealer games.
BetRivers is one of RSI’s brands, which include PlaySugarHouse and RushBet. It currently offers real-money mobile and online operations in 15 states: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Delaware, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Maryland, Iowa, West Virginia, Arizona and Louisiana, and internationally in Ontario, Canada, and Colombia and Mexico.
