Delaware

Delaware made history when it comes to sports betting as they became the first state outside of Nevada to legalize it back in 2018. However, it wasn’t until January 3, 2024, that sports betting launched in mobile form, as for the five years prior, bettors were limited to strictly retail betting.

Delaware sports bettors can wager on both professional and collegiate sports, whether in a retail or online setting. The only stipulation regarding the NCAA is that bettors cannot wager on colleges located within the state.

Outside of betting on sports like football and basketball, residents can also wager on horse racing. The ability to use daily fantasy sports sites is also legal in the state and was allowed far before mobile betting was offered.

How sportsbooks could turn punkin chunkin into a fall betting favorite

Delaware’s Punkin Chunkin is one of the most unique and thrilling competitions in the country, where teams launch pumpkins using homemade contraptions, from massive trebuchets to air cannons. This event, which has gained national popularity over the years, could be perfect for transforming into a fully sanctioned betting spectacle. Fans could place bets on which team would achieve the longest distance, whether a catapult or air-powered cannon would win, or even whether a pumpkin would explode or not.

With modern sports betting platforms embracing niche events such as competitive hot dog eating contests and drone racing, it’s not crazy to envision Punkin Chunkin joining the ranks. If state regulators support the idea, and sportsbooks are willing to make odds on the event, then betting on pumpkin physics might just become the next big autumn pastime.

Online sports betting in The First State

When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, Delaware was the first state to legalize sports betting. In fact, the state did not need to pass any bills to do so, as it had already passed HB 100 in 2009, which allowed sports betting through the state’s lottery.

The state claimed it had a parlay product exempt from PASPA and had been around since 1976, in which case it should be able to expand its betting operations. Despite this claim, the state was not allowed to expand operations despite the bill being passed, so when PASPA was overturned, DE argued it already had legislation to offer sports betting to its residents.

Since sports betting was legalized in DE, the state has been in an exclusive contract with 888 Holdings, which owns William Hill. While betting was legal, it was only available through three retail locations, as many regulators in the state opposed fully expanding it.

The state’s contract with 888 Holdings ended in 2023, and after negotiations, DE entered into a new contract agreement with Rush Street Interactive, which owns and operates the BetRivers Sportsbook. On January 3, 2024, this new exclusive contract was signed, and bettors in Delaware finally got mobile betting through the BetRivers mobile app.

Each state operates differently regarding licenses and allowed operators, but most states that legalize sports betting offer many online betting apps. Due to the structure of the state’s sports betting bill, though, BetRivers will be the only mobile app available for the foreseeable future.

All legal DE sports betting apps in 2025:

Sports betting & gambling legislation in DE

With sports betting now available in retail and mobile formats, the state has needed to implement more restrictions for bettors. The Delaware State Lottery Office enforces all of these restrictions.

DE residents must be at least 21 to place a legal sports wager. However, they must be at least 18 to partake in daily fantasy sports. A mobile betting account on the BetRivers Sportsbook can be created anywhere within the state lines of DE, so remote registration is available.

It is important to note that even with that, bettors must be within those state lines to play a legal wager in the state. All bettors in the state are subject to a tax rate of either 2.2% or 6.6% on their winnings, and that number will depend on their income. All winnings over $5,000 are taxed at 24% regardless of income.

Delaware does offer some additional gambling markets to residents in the state outside of sports betting. For example, both online casinos and online poker are fully available, and unsurprisingly, with who the governing body of gambling is, Delaware also offers a lottery.

Ice cream speed-eating at Rehoboth: A sweet opportunity for novelty wagers

When summer rolls around, Rehoboth Beach’s boardwalk buzzes with families, surfers, and the irresistible scent of waffle cones. But what if this seaside indulgence could be more than just a treat and instead become the center of the next food-based novelty markets? The idea of Boardwalk Ice Cream Speed-Eating Contests, where locals and tourists alike compete to devour double-scoop cones in record time, all while bettors place their wagers on who they think will finish their cone the quickest.

With clear outcomes, live spectators, and viral potential, these contests are designed for micro-wagering markets. Prop bets could be offered through geofenced mobile apps or festival kiosks, especially if Delaware’s gambling framework were to be expanded to allow low-stakes novelty betting.

A small rollout of seasonal betting tied to local events like this could drive thousands in wagers and help create even more tourism revenue during summer beach months. With Delaware familiar with changing their legal gambling infrastructure, quirky additions like boardwalk dessert betting could help the state stand out even more.

Most recent updates from the DE sports betting scene

• March 10, 2025: The Delaware Blue Hens have advanced to the semi-finals of the CAA Tournament. The Blue Hens are now (+1000) to win the tournament and (+235) to advance to the finals.

• March 7, 2025: The Delaware Blue Hens have a long way to go if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament, as they are (+6000) to win the CAA Conference Tournament.

• November 18, 2024: Legendz launches in Delaware and 42 states, bringing props, parlays, and high RTP to social betting. Open to 18+, it offers free play, daily rewards, and real prize redemptions, creating an exciting social sportsbook experience for all players.

• November 7, 2024: In their first game of the season, the Delaware Blue Hens basketball team is listed as (-7.5) point favorites over Robert Morris.

• October 30, 2024: The Delaware Blue Hens basketball team will return to the court in the coming week, and they are currently (+2500) to be regular season champs in the CAA.

• October 25, 2024: Looking to get back in the win columns, the Delaware Blue Hens will host Albany this weekend as (-11.5) point favorites.

• October 2, 2024: The Delaware Blue Hens will put their 4-0 record on the line this weekend when they head on the road to Monmouth.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

There are three racinos in Delaware that the Delaware Lottery regulates. Each of them has its own individual owners, but the lottery ensures each place offers the same betting menu. All online casino wagering through each location is now done through BetRivers.

Each location was prominent in the state long before sports betting came into the picture, as horse racing has been a big deal in Delaware for decades. In addition to sports betting, each location also has racebooks for residents who want to try betting on horses instead of sports

Scurry & score: How ghost crab races could power tourism and wagering

By nightfall on Delaware’s beaches, a new kind of racetrack could emerge, not for dogs or horses, but for ghost crabs. These fast, skittish crustaceans are already a favorite among kids and flashlight-wielding tourists in coastal towns like Lewes. With that being the case, betting on these crabs and their determination to reach the ocean could bring even more tourists. 

Lewes Ghost Crab Scurry Night Races would gamify the already-popular tradition of crab-spotting with structured mini-races. Under red-filtered headlamps (to minimize stress on the crabs), participants could bet on which crab reaches the water first. Events could be safely organized in outlined zones to protect the animals and maintain ecological balance.

This quirky, wagering idea could benefit Delaware’s beach economy, drawing curious visitors, boosting nighttime boardwalk foot traffic, and even funding local marine biology groups. In a world where betting extends beyond ball games and boxing rings, the beach could be the next betting “arena.” With careful planning and regulatory creativity, ghost crab races could help Delaware stake a claim in gambling creativity history while also possibly becoming viral as a state.

Why unclaimed chips from Delaware Casinos might be worth millions

Aside from the color or design, a $1 casino chip and a $1,000 casino chip feel the same. These small tokens of casino winnings are tossed around, rubbed for luck, and much more, but how many are sitting unclaimed, lost, or forgotten in Delaware? Over the years, thousands of gamblers have walked away from Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway, unknowingly leaving chips in pockets, hotel nightstands, or even car cupholders.

Unlike cash, casino chips aren’t legal tender outside of the casino, meaning millions of dollars worth could be out of circulation. Some casinos allow chips to be redeemed at any point, while others enforce expiration policies, effectively turning forgotten chips into more easy money for the house. Whether misplaced, used for a collection, or left behind by a frustrated gambler, these chips may hold more untapped value than gamblers realize.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Sports betting has been active online and in retail settings in states surrounding DE for quite some time. Atlantic City, New Jersey, is just one state over from Delaware, so if in-state bettors want to change their retail betting location, they are not far from an entire strip of casinos.

To learn more about what Delaware’s surrounding states have to offer in terms of mobile sportsbooks and other related services, click on the state in the box below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Delaware’s economy

Despite only having retail betting until recently, Delaware has fairly habitually produced around $20 million in sports betting revenue a year. 2023 was the low point of the DE sports wagering market as the yearly revenue totals dipped to $14 million, but in 2024, the state got back on its typical track, recording just shy of the $25 million revenue sum.

These figures aren't that high compared to many other states, but while the state may not have a wide range of operators available, with how the tax system is set up, they typically do well regarding tax revenue. Sports betting revenues for operators in the state have a tax rate of 50% for both retail and online. The effective tax in the state comes in at 51.4%.

With this taxing regime, as of April 2025, Delaware has gained more than $74 million in tax income from a little over $887 million worth of sports bets placed throughout the history of the state's legal sports betting market.

The way licensing works in Delaware is that all three state casinos share a yearly licensing fee of $4.5 million, but that license is not strictly for sports betting. The amount each casino pays is based on their share of the video lottery market. No one outside these three casinos can apply for an individual license or for the ability to join this joint license. Depending on the season, the overall handle and revenue the state makes vary by month, which can be seen below, but the true question is how much more the state will be pulling in a month now that it offers mobile betting.

Delaware sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: November 2018 ($24,206,090)

• Revenue: November 2020 ($8,162,861)

• Tax income: November 2020 ($5,018,419)

Latest DE sports betting revenue report breakdown (March 2025)

• Total betting handle: $21,585,890

• Winnings paid to players: $20,045,638

  • Hold: 7.14%

• Gross revenue: $1,540,252

  • Adjusted revenue: $912,897

• Tax revenue for the state: $485,019

Reported by the Delaware Lottery.

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

DE sports betting revenue in 2025

We have gathered all DE sports betting handle, revenue, and state tax income data from 2025 in the following table. The percentage featured in the first two columns indicates the change compared to the previous month.

2024 revenue data

Yearly revenue totals

Exploring the profit potential of legal election wagering in Delaware

Delaware is also known as the “First State” and could someday live up to its name in an entirely new way, which is by pioneering the first legal betting market on political races or state referendums. While betting on politics is currently prohibited in the U.S. through licensed and regulated sportsbooks, other countries like the U.K. have long allowed wagers on elections, cabinet changes, and referendums, which have resulted in a lot of public engagement and revenue. 

Given Delaware’s small population, centralized government structure, and already established regulatory frameworks for gambling, the state could serve as a perfect testing location for introducing legalized political prop bets. Some examples of these markets would include placing wagers on voter turnout percentages, the margin of victory in a local referendum, and more.

If Delaware allocated even 0.25% of its average of $117+ million annual betting handle toward political markets, it could generate over $290,000 in yearly betting handle and $43,000+ in tax revenue under its 15% rate. Beyond revenue, political betting could boost civic interest, especially among younger voters, by making legislative outcomes more interactive.

While legal and ethical debates will likely keep this market off the books, Delaware has the framework to explore bold and innovative betting frontiers.