Gambling in Delaware

Located in the area of the United States’ most-competitive gaming markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, Delaware has made its brand name by legalizing and regulating almost every possible gambling type including online casinos NJ-style.

Casino gaming, horse racing, charitable gambling, online gaming, a lottery, and sports betting are all major features of varied Delaware betting market. Sports Betting and Online Casinos set Delaware apart from many other states in its region.

The open-minded approach and interpretation of gambling law has allowed Delaware to compete with the likes of New Jersey and Pennsylvania – which like, Delaware, both have fully developed gambling options.

Delaware has three land-based casinos that exist within the boundaries of the state line. All are equipped with luxurious and stunningly grandiose facilities that are all carefully designed to take the fancy of the average gambling customer.

This results in exciting days at the races, slots and much more. Betting money, winning money and generally having a fun time are what Delaware casinos are all about and keeps plenty of happy clients coming back time-after-time.

Slots and other electronic games, (video lottery terminals or ‘VLTs’) provided by the Delaware Lottery came on the state gambling scene in 1995 after a state legislature bill authorizing them was passed in May 1994. The state passed initial rudimentary Delaware sports betting rules in 2009, introducing a form of sports betting known as parlay or teaser cards based on the final scores of NFL games and in 2010, Delaware legalized table games to the state’s three casinos in order to assist them in competing with casinos in neighboring states.

Delaware was the first state of the Union to offer fully legal online casinos back in 2012, beginning firstly with the states’ three land-based casinos offering web portals for online slots, blackjack, poker and roulette.

Consequently, in Delaware, state residents who wish to gamble are no longer required to get up and physically go to a land-based casino. They can gamble on their personal computer, tablet, smart phone or other mobile device. They can play online from home, on-the-go on their smart phone or literally anywhere they can receive a good and solid broadband connection. The only other requirement is that the participants be physically present within the borders of Delaware when they play the games (their location will need to be verified via IP address and/or mobile geolocation).

In all likelihood and given an untroubled implementation period of sports betting in the state’s land-based casino, the state’s residents should gain access to Delaware sports betting online in the near future.

What we do know for certain is that online casinos in Delaware supply online bettors with quality games, great customer service options, secure sites powered with SSL encryption for industry-leading player security and protection, and the opportunity to make some big and life-changing wins.

When you play at a legal Delaware online casino, you will notice on the site that it is licensed by Delaware State Lottery (the only legal operator in the state). At these licensed sites, you can be absolutely safe in the knowledge that the games are fair and that your money and personal details are safe and secure.

The same cannot be said of illegal and unregulated, offshore online casinos, many of which operate with little-to-no oversight or governance. Unlicensed casinos are free to treat customers as they please, without fear of punitive punishments for poor customer service and/or withholding players winnings.

While online casinos have been legal in New Jersey since 2013, unlicensed gambling sites also remain open for business.

The possibility to play both offshore and legal regulated online casinos may potentially be confusing to the average online player, who may not understand the subtle differences and unknowingly put themselves at risk.

Stick with the legal Delaware State Lottery-regulated sites for peace-of-mind and hassle-free gambling and avoid offshore online casinos wherever possible.

In Delaware, for the time being, unlicensed poker, unlicensed roulette or unlicensed craps (Stick to playing legally in the casinos – playing unlicensed for money in your own home is actively discouraged), are all seen as forms of illegal and prohibited gaming and can theoretically be charged as first-degree misdemeanors in Delaware. Possible punishments are big fines and potential jail time if the fines go unpaid.

Poker Rooms

Of course, you can play many different types of poker (Casino Hold’em, Texas Hold’em, Caribbean Stud Poker, No Limit Hold’em etc.) perfectly legally and without fear of breaking the law at any one of Delaware three land-based casinos.

Online Poker Laws

If you’re interested in playing Poker legally in Delaware without any fear of legal punitive punishments, stick to Delaware’s land-based casinos and excellent range of online casinos.

All three of Delaware’s online poker sites share the same network: 888Poker. This means Delaware players are competing against players not just from one Delaware online casino, but all three at once. Even adding to the player pool, 888Poker’s platform is used by sites in Nevada and New Jersey as well, giving Delaware players plenty of opportunity and opponents against which to play.

As one of the smallest States in the Union, Delaware’s regulated gambling industry dates back to as early as 1933 when the state legalized horse racing, however, it was the legalization of Bingo in 1957, the Delaware State Lottery in 1974, Casinos in 1994, Online Gaming in 2012 (the first state to have legal online gambling) and as another first, the first state of the Union to pass legislation for legal sports betting that has transformed Delaware (DE) into a truly open-minded and reformist gaming state.

Recent legislative changes combined with technological change is now fueling the massive gambling expansion in Delaware.

The State’s Legislature was quick to legislate on legal sports betting in Delaware. Delaware sports betting was offered to its citizens before any other state in the nation.  On June 5 2018, the state moved to offer single-game sports betting in Delaware on a number of different sports at three casinos in the state. Expanded Delaware sports gambling options may take place at additional locations or online in the coming months.

Delaware has a long and proud history of adopting innovative change in the gambling sector long before many of the larger states. Delaware became the first state to legalize online gambling in 2012. This permitted the Delaware Lottery to operate poker and casino sites on the Internet long before other states were ready to do so. The Delaware Lottery has outsourced long established industry giants to provide the games online and run them through the websites of the three Delaware land-based casinos.

Given Delaware’s heritage with applying the use of technological innovation, it is highly likely that the state will apply this model when making online sports betting in Delaware available to its residents.

Visit our Delaware online sports betting page for more information on the states sports betting laws