The Delaware Department of Finance, in consultation with the Attorney General’s Office, has determined that there are no legal obstacles to moving forward with full-scale sports betting in Delaware, including head-to-head-betting, which permits single-game wagering.
Under a state law passed in 2009, Delaware may authorize betting on professional and collegiate sports, with the exception of games involving Delaware-based teams.
The department will begin training lottery and casino staff next week in preparation for a June launch of full-scale sports betting in Delaware. Finance Secretary Rick Geisenberger issued the following statement on Thursday:
“Following Monday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court and consultation with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, we are confident that Delaware has the legal and regulatory authority to authorize sports gaming in Delaware. The Delaware Lottery has had plans in place for months, and we will begin training lottery and casino staff early next week. We will continue to provide public updates as we prepare to launch full-scale sports gaming in Delaware next month.”
Delaware was expected to gain a jump on many states, due to the legislation and the use of multl-game parlay that were deemed to be legal.
Other neighboring states are expected to be equally aggressive, including New Jersey, which waged a lengthy legal battle that led to the sports betting ban being overturned.
Full sports betting had been confined to Nevada.
Delaware has racinos in Harrington and Dover in Kent County and Stanton in New Castle County.
