Delaware Casino Football Betting

It authorized the Delaware Lottery to sell lottery tickets online, create a statewide keno network, expand the football parlay betting that was already available, and launch online gambling sites. Delaware Sports Betting at Delaware Park features an amazing selection of sports betting lines, 7-days a week. The sportsbook also offers different types of Parlay Cards and Player Rewards benefits. Legal betting options in Delaware. William Hill supplies sports betting to Delaware’s three casinos through an agreement with the Delaware Lottery. All of the standard betting markets are available in Delaware, though there is a limit on college betting. Delaware Sports Betting at Delaware Park features an amazing selection of sports betting lines, 7-days a week. The sportsbook also offers different types of Parlay Cards and Player Rewards benefits.

The best sportsbooks in Dover, Delaware are those with the most opportunities to win. Bookmakers should cater to all types of sports bettors, both casual bettors, and professional gamblers. You will have no problem finding betting lines on football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and other types of sports. These sportsbooks will meet the needs of those who want to bet on professional and collegiate sports teams (except for college teams based in Delaware). As far as wagering options, Dover betting parlors will have multiple ways to place bets. Point spreads, totals, teasers, parlays, and money lines are just a few of the acceptable wager types.

There is currently only one land-based sportsbook in Dover, Delaware, and it is Dover Downs. Mobile betting is legal according to lottery officials, but it is currently not available in Delaware. For now, you can read more about the Sportsbook at Dover Downs and what it has to offer.

Is Sports Betting Currently Legal In Dover, Delaware?

Most bettors in the state are surprised when they learn that sports betting in Dover, Delaware has been legal for nearly half a century. Back in 1976, the state launched its first-ever sports lottery program, which allows sports fans to bet 3-team NFL parlays. The initial launch was unsuccessful, causing the Delaware State Lottery to shut down the program for about 33 years. Then, in 2009 the state formally reinstated the sports lottery, allowing patrons to visit local racinos and retail shops to play parlay cards.

In between this time, the federal government implemented a law that would have a dramatic impact on the US sports betting industry. On October 18, 1992, then-President George Bush signed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), a law that essentially banned sports betting across the nation. The only states exempt from the law were those that had previously legalized sports betting, which Delaware luckily had. Even so, Delaware was only permitted to offer their sports lottery as this was the only type of wagering they had already made legal. PASPA prevented sports betting from spreading, so new laws could not be implemented that expanded sports betting. If new laws were drafted and passed, states were not allowed to act on it. Nevada was the only state that had legalized single-game sports wagering, while Oregon and Montana also had small sports lotteries.

Delaware did attempt to offer single-game wagering in 2009, but the NCAA and major sports league filed a complaint to stop the state from accepting sports wagers. It was not until PASPA was struck down in 2018 that Delaware sportsbooks were able to offer full-scale sports betting. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 that the federal ban on sports betting was unconstitutional, therefore lifting the ban. Delaware already had laws on the books which authorized sports betting, so the state launched full-service sports betting less than a month after the verdict in Murphy vs. NCAA was delivered. Delaware became the first state outside of Nevada to offer single-game wagering. That is why existing Dover sportsbooks can now accept more than just NFL parlays.

What Is The Age To Bet On Sports Dover, Delaware?

The age to bet on sports in Dover, Delaware is 21 and older. The legal gambling age was determined by the state legislature, which means that you will need to be at least 21 to wager at Dover sportsbooks, Harrington sportsbooks, or Wilmington sportsbooks. The gambling age also applies to casino gaming in the state of Delaware. Keno and horse racing betting are the only types of betting that can be done at a younger age. To bet the ponies or play keno, you will only need to be 18 years of age. Always be prepared to show valid identification before visiting Dover sportsbooks and casinos.

Best Sportsbooks In Dover, Delaware

Right now, there is only one land-based sportsbook available in Dover. It is Dover Downs and it will offer you all the best opportunities you need to win. You will find betting lines on all your favorite sports and plenty of wagering options as well. There are plenty of ways for a professional or casual bettor to get into the action. Although there are no mobile sports betting apps available in Dover Downs, there are no laws preventing mobile sports wagering from happening. We are confident that you will be able to get into the mobile wagering action in the near future. Continue on to see what Dover Downs has to offer for sports betting in Delaware.

• Dover Downs Hotel & Casino Sportsbook
• Address: 1131 North DuPont Highway Dover, Delaware
• Phone: 302-674-4600

Chances are, you have already been to Dover Downs to bet NFL parlays in the past. Now, sports enthusiasts will find the full gamut of sports wagering options at the Dover Downs Sportsbook. The Race & Sportsbook is located near Frankie’s and the Colonnade Marketplace, off of the slots area. When you visit, you can make single-game wagers on sports like football, basketball, baseball, auto racing, boxing, MMA, soccer, and golf. The bookmaker takes action on both professional and collegiate sports teams (excluding DE-based college teams), so you can bet on teams like the Philadelphia Eagles or on Duke. The types of sports wagers at the Dover Downs Sportsbook include straight bets, parlays, futures, propositions, teasers, and round robins.

Right now, you can also take advantage of their New Member Sports Betting promotion. If you make a sports bet of over $100, you can visit the ticket writer to receive a coupon for a $25 Table Game Match Play. The offer is only valid for those that are not current Capital Club members, as the promo includes your free membership and the offer is not valid when you use a self-serve machine. The Race & Sportsbook at Dover Downs is open from:

• Monday: 11 a.m. - midnight
• Tuesday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• Thursday: 11 a.m. - midnight
• Friday: 11 a.m. - midnight
• Saturday: 10 a.m. - midnight
• Sunday: 9 a.m. – midnight

Other gaming options at Dover Downs include visiting the luxury hotel and casino. With more than 2,300 slot machines, you are sure to find a mix of the latest slots along with the classics you love. Players can also try to win big with progressives, and high roller slot players will find machines with denominations up to $100. If its table games that you prefer, Dover Downs has plenty. There are plenty of tables with games like blackjack, baccarat, Pai Gow poker, High Card Flush, 21 + 3, and WPT Heads Up Hold ‘Em. There are all types of special promotions for free slot play, bankroll bonuses, and giveaways.

You can get the most out of visiting the Dover Downs Casino by booking a stay at the hotel. The AAA Four Diamond property has all the amenities that you would look for in an upscale hotel, including a full-service spa, critically-acclaimed restaurants, and bars to grab a drink. As the best sportsbook in Dover, you will not regret your time at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino.

Delaware has the proud distinction of being the first state other than Nevada to legalize and regulate Vegas-style sports betting. That happened on June 5^th, 2018, when a Delaware casino accepted the first sports bet in recent history that was legal and based on the outcome of a single game.

A few states’ lotteries have offered sports-style games over the years, but Delaware got the ball rolling in the United States by specifically authorizing single-game sports betting just like they offer at the sportsbooks of Las Vegas. The history behind Delaware sports betting is interesting, but we’ll get into that later.

The most important thing to know is that sports betting is legal in Delaware. In 2018, Delaware Governor John Carney gave the state’s three casinos permission to open full-service sportsbooks accepting all the major types of sports bets on all professional and college sports leagues.

You can forget about those 3-game parlay cards sold by the lottery; Delaware casinos now offer actual, real-deal sports betting. This means you can bet on Sunday’s big NFL game, tomorrows MLB game or on the winner of the next PGA tournament if you want. If it’s a professional or college sport played in the United States, you can now bet on it legally.

Where can I bet on sports in Delaware today?

Currently, legal sports betting takes place only at Delaware’s three casinos: Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway. The state may expand its gambling options at some point to include online sports betting, but for now, these three casinos have a monopoly on legal sports wagers:

What about online sports betting in Delaware?

Online sports betting is not yet legal in Delaware. Current state laws restrict wagering to land-based casinos, but lawmakers have indicated an interest in exploring new avenues for sports wagers. Online sports betting, mobile betting and possibly retail betting are all possibilities – in the future.

What seems most likely at this point is Delaware will wait and see how the three casinos manage sports betting before expanding the laws to include additional venues such as online or brick-and-mortar locations. The entire concept of legal sports betting is still relatively new in Delaware (the first legal wager was taken on June 5^th, 2018).

If sports betting runs smoothly in Delaware and the state avoids any major issues such as an underage gambling scandal or something of that nature, online sports betting will be more palatable. This is all new territory for the United States and lawmakers are understandably moving slowly.

We should also keep in mind Delaware already permits online poker and casino games. Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway all run online casinos that allow state residents 21 and older to play real money games online. The state is clearly comfortable with certain forms of online gambling, so sports betting would be the next logical step.

Other states may actually legalize online sports betting before Delaware does. New Jersey, for example, appears likely to authorize online wagers. If other states begin legalizing online betting, it may prompt Delaware to move quicker on the issue so as not to be left behind.

In the meantime, the state’s three physical casinos are the only places where sports betting is unquestionably legal. If and when that changes, we’ll let you know right here at DelawareBetting.com.

Types of Bets Available at Delaware Sportsbooks

If you’re 21 or older and in the area, you can visit any of those three casinos to bet on college and pro sports. Each Delaware sportsbook offers a range of bets on football, baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing, boxing, MMA, golf and soccer.

The types of bets accepted by Delaware sportsbooks mirror those that have been legal in Vegas for decades. Some off your options include straight bets on who will win an upcoming game, who will be ahead at half time, parlays, teasers, totals, propositions and more.

Now that sports betting is legal in Delaware, the options for betting are endless. The governor’s decision to allow local casinos to accept sports wagers was sweeping in nature, meaning the casinos have wide latitude in which sports they cover and which types of bets they accept.

Moneyline Bets

Moneylines are a type of straight bet in which your only goal is to correctly predict the winning team. If you think the Eagles will beat the Patriots on Sunday, all you have to do is select the Eagles and watch the game to see who wins. If you get it right, you get paid.

Moneyline wagers account for relative team strengths by adjusting the payout odds for each side of the bet. In other words, if one team is clearly stronger than the other, you’ll risk more on the favored team and less on the underdog team.

The payout odds in a moneyline bet are displayed using a three-digit number that expresses how much you stand to win versus how much you must risk. For example, let’s say the Eagles and Patriots are playing this weekend and you’re considering a bet:

We can see at a glance which team is the favorite and which is the underdog based on the odds. The positive price for the Eagles indicates they are the underdogs and that any wagers placed on the Eagles will return more money than you risk up front. The negative price next to the Patriots shows any bets on them will return less money than you risk up front.

The +155 means that for every $100 you bet on the Eagles, you stand to net $155 in winnings. Your total payout on a $100 bet would be $255, consisting of the return of your original stake plus $155 in profit.

The -175 next to the Patriots means you need to risk $175 for every $100 in potential winnings. Thus, a successful $175 wager on the Patriots would return a total of $275 – the return of your original wager plus $100 in profit.

Moneyline odds are displayed in units of one hundred by default, but you can just as easily break it down to units of $1. For example, a moneyline of +155 means that you stand to win $1.55 for every $1.00 wagered.

Point Spreads

When sports announcers refer to “the spread” or say something to the effect of “the Bills are favored by a touchdown today,” they’re referring to point spread bets. The point spread is one of the most common types of sports bets because it is simple, straightforward and makes intuitive sense.

The idea of a point spread is to make a lopsided matchup closer to even for the people who want to bet on it. If one team is supposed to come into town and clean house, they’ll have to give up a few points. That is, if you want to bet on the favored team, they need to win by at least X number of points. The bigger the disparity, the bigger the spread.

Here’s an example of a point spread:

In this example, the Green Bay Packers are fairly strong favorites as most people expect them to win this game. Therefore, the oddsmakers have given the Packers an 8-point handicap. If you bet on the packers in this example, they need win by more than 8 points. The Packers must win by at least 9 points for your bet to win.

If the final score is Packers 27 / Bears 14, you would win the bet because the Packers covered the spread. If the final score is Packers 27 / Bears 21, you would lose the bet because the Packers failed to cover the spread.

Likewise, your bet on the Bears would be a winner if they win the game outright or if they lose by fewer than 8 points. If the game ends with an exact 8-point difference in the final score, the bet is considered a tie or a push and bettors on both sides of the wager are refunded.

In Delaware, most point spreads are offered at -110 odds no matter who you back. This means you must risk $110 to win $100. If the wager listed on the board looks like the example above, it is safe to assume you’re looking at odds of -110 on each side of the bet. You may also occasionally see slightly different moneyline odds associated with spreads such as this example:

In this example, a point spread and moneyline odds are both in play. The bears can lose by up to 7.5 points and a $100 wager pays $115 if successful. Likewise, the Packers must win by more than 7.5 points and a $105 wager pays $105.

Parlays

Parlays combine bets on multiple games into one and offer enhanced payouts. In a parlay wager, you pick the outcomes of two or more games and must get every pick correct. A parlay wager offers enticing payout odds at the cost of requiring you to get every pick correct. If you get a single game wrong, your entire parlay wager is lost.

The advantage is obvious: a parlay bet offers the possibility of winning a large payout without having to risk a whole lot. The downside is that a single wrong selection kills your entire parlay. You must get every pick exactly right to win.

Teasers

Teasers are like parlays in most respects. In teasers, you make multiple picks and must get every selection correct in order to receive a payout. Where teasers differ from parlays is teasers allow you to add points to the spread to make your picks easier to predict. These added points make it easier to win teasers at the cost of lower payouts.

For example, Delaware Park offers 6, 6.5, 7, 10 and 14-point teasers. What this means is if you choose a 6-point teaser and make a pick involving the Chicago Bears who are priced at +8 that day, the point spread would be adjusted to Bears +14.

The teaser points are added to every selection in your wager, making each selection easier to predict. The drawback to doing it this way is your teaser would pay significantly less than a parlay involving those same teams.

Point Totals

A point total does away with predicting the winning team. Instead, you attempt to pick the total number of points scored. The sportsbook sets a total, and your goal is to predict whether the combined score of both teams will be higher than or lower than that number.

If Dover Downs sets a total of 45 points for a Chargers / Broncos game, you would take the under if you think the actual score will be lower than that. You would take the over if you believe the actual score will be higher than that. Who wins the game does not matter; all that matters is how many points are scored by the end of the game.

Totals are also sometimes offered for high profile boxing or MMA matches, but in terms of rounds rather than points. A boxing match might set the total at 8.5 rounds, and you attempt to predict whether the match will end before the mid-point of the eighth round of if it will last longer than that.

Futures (a.k.a. Outrights)

Futures involve picking the winner of a championship or a tournament, typically well in advance of that event. For example, futures on the winner of the next Super Bowl often go live with the first game of the season. The Super Bowl itself is still a long way off, but you can book your bet well in advance in the hopes of achieving a large payout.

Delaware Park Casino Football Betting

Golf and auto racing bets often take a similar form, although these may be known as outrights instead. In a golf or auto race, you are presented with a list of all expected competitors and attempt to pick the winner.

Futures and outrights tend to pay more than other types of bets because of the number of possible outcomes involved. When you have 60-some golfers lined up for a tournament or 32 teams in the NFL all hoping for a Super Bowl victory, the odds are stacked against you when it comes to picking the winner. The upside is you stand to win a lot of money if you get it right.

How Delaware Legalized Sports Betting

Delaware gained the ability to legalize and regulate sports betting after a 2018 Supreme Court decision found the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) unconstitutional.

While it was in effect, PASPA made it unlawful for all states except Nevada to “sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, license, or authorize” sports betting. In short, PASPA granted Nevada a virtual monopoly over sports betting in the United States for 25 years.

PASPA provided exemptions for sports betting schemes that were already authorized at the time the law took effect, but these were limited forms of betting. Certain parlay-style sports games run by the lottery in Delaware and Oregon were grandfathered in. Montana also received an exemption for a non-house-backed betting squares game that was permitted in facilities with liquor licenses.

Delaware’s exemption was for three-team or bigger NFL parlay cards sold by the state lottery. The Delaware Lottery sold these three-team parlays for a few months back in 1976. The lottery discontinued the practice after a single NFL season, but that was enough to grant Delaware an exemption for that one, specific type of sports betting.

As far as true, single-game sports betting was concerned, Nevada was the only state in the Union exempted from PASPA.

Delaware Attempts to Legalize Sports Betting in 2009

Lawmakers revived the NFL parlays in 2009 in an attempt to help cover state budget shortfalls amid a sluggish economy. That wasn’t all. Lawmakers also wanted to bring real, Vegas-style sports betting to Delaware.

So, in 2009, the legislature passed a bill authorizing single game sports betting. The NCAA, MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL sued to stop the law from taking effect. After a brief legal battle, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against Delaware on grounds that the law was a clear violation of PASPA.

The leagues were successful in stopping the law from taking effect, but the law was never officially repealed. It remained on the books and unenforced. Delaware retained the ability to offer three-game NFL parlays, but all other forms of sports betting remained prohibited.

A Win for New Jersey Opens Doors in Delaware

In 2012, lawmakers in New Jersey passed a law legalizing sports betting at local casinos and racetracks. Once again, the sports leagues stepped in and sued to stop the law from taking effect.

New Jersey contested the case in court, but ultimately the Third Circuit shut down that effort as well. New Jersey petitioned the Supreme Court to take the case, but the Supreme Court declined to take the case.

Rather than give up, New Jersey mounted a second challenge by passing a different law seeking to decriminalize sports betting. The leagues sued yet again and won in district court, then again in front of the Third Circuit after New Jersey appealed the first ruling.

Delaware Casino Football Betting Odds

New Jersey again petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case. This was widely viewed as a last-ditch effort and many at the time predicted the Supreme Court would deny the request as it did the last time around. However, the Supreme Court surprised nearly everyone following the case by announcing it would indeed hear the case.

Both sides presented oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court in late 2017. It was around this time momentum began to change. Those following the case reported that comments and questions from the Justices during the oral arguments phase seemed to indicate sympathy for New Jersey’s side of the argument.

Several months passed with no word from the Supreme Court, but it finally announced its decision on May 14^th of 2018: PASPA is unconstitutional, must be stricken down and New Jersey is free to proceed with its sports betting law.

It was a big win not just for New Jersey, but for all states interested in sports betting. PASPA was the only federal law preventing states from legalizing and authorizing sports betting and it was officially dead. This gave Delaware the green light to revive its own sports betting ambitions.

Delaware Becomes First State to Launch Sports Betting

Delaware was able to beat New Jersey to the punch thanks to the 2009 law that was never repealed. After the Supreme Court’s decision, Delaware revived the law and authorized sports betting without having to write, introduce and pass new legislation.

Delaware’s three casinos went live with sports betting at 1:30 PM ET on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Governor John Daley celebrated the occasion with a press conference at Dover Downs. In front of the gathered media, Gov. Daley placed the nation’s first legal sports bet anywhere outside Nevada. His wager: a $10 bet on the Philadelphia Phillies at +200 to beat the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Horse Racing Betting in Delaware

In-person and online horse racing betting is legal in Delaware. All three casinos host live horse races and accept wagers in-person. Additionally, a number of US-based horse racing betting sites allow customers from Delaware to bet on domestic and international races.

Online horse racing betting is exempt from several anti-gambling laws passed at the national level and is therefore 100% legal in Delaware as long as it is done at a licensed betting site. The best legal racing betting sites in Delaware are:

• BetAmerica
• TwinSpires

Delaware Horse Racing Laws

Horse racing betting has been legal in Delaware for years thanks to favorable state and federal laws. The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (full text here) made it legal for horse wagers to cross state lines. It is thanks to this act that we can bet on races such as the Kentucky Derby without leaving Delaware.

The horse racing industry was a powerful lobbying force in its heyday and managed to finagle exemptions from other federal laws such as PASPA and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). In the text of PASPA, it specifically says the law does not apply to “parimutuel animal racing.”

The Interstate Horseracing Act was updated in 2000 to add language permitting online wagering. This amendment extended the definition of interstate wagers to include bets placed via telephone or “other electronic media” as long as doing so is lawful in both states. That update combined with exemptions from other laws is why online horse racing has been legal in Delaware for years even though sports betting was prohibited until recently.

Delaware Gambling Sites

Delaware has a history of “firsts” when it comes to gaming. In addition to being the first state to accept a legal sports bet outside of Nevada, Delaware was also the first state to legalize and regulate online gambling.

Online gambling was legalized in 2012 with the passage of the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012 (full text here). This law granted the Delaware Lottery the authority to operate slots and other casino games through websites managed by Dover Downs, Delaware Park and Harrington Raceway.

All three racetracks now offer real money games for residents of Delaware 21 and older at the following websites:

Delaware Casino Football Betting Games

All three gambling sites are run as partnerships between the local racetrack and gaming software provider 888. Each Delaware gambling site maintains its own style of branding, but the experience is basically identical across all three sites aside from styling. With 888 providing the software for all three sites, you will find little difference between one gambling site and the next.

Online gambling falls under the purview of the Delaware Lottery. However, the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) assists in conducting suitability checks for entities that request licenses from the Delaware Lottery to offer various types of games. The DGE also assists the lottery in drafting rules and regulations for licensed gaming providers.

Currently, online casinos in Delaware are permitted to offer traditional casino games such as slots and table games in addition to online poker. In other words, online casinos in Delaware are able to offer the same types of games you would find in person at a brick-and-mortar casino.

All three sites offer welcome bonuses to new players and run regular promotions that are worth a look. Just be warned going in: the websites for these three casinos are seriously lacking in design. None of these looks anything like a modern online casino when you look at the website alone.

Live Casino Betting

The good news is the actual software powering everything provides high quality games developed by 888 and its partners. If you can get beyond the dated websites, you’ll find the actual casino games are perfectly modern.

Online Poker in Delaware

Online poker was legalized in Delaware with the same law that legalized online gambling. As is the case with gambling, all three poker sites in Delaware are powered by software from 888 Holdings.

Delaware’s poker sites got off to a slow start in the early stages due to the state’s small population. With fewer potential players to draw from, poker sites had a tough time building a sustainable player base to keep games populated at all hours. At one point, it looked like poker was a lost cause in Delaware.

Things began to change for the better after Delaware signed an agreement with New Jersey and Nevada allowing providers active in all three states to share players across state lines. With 888 active in all three states, this means players in Delaware now have access to a much larger player pool.

Online Sports Betting In Delaware

Delaware still has some room for improvement when it comes to traffic, but things are moving in the right direction. The player sharing agreement has already had positive effects and should continue to provide growth over coming years.

Delaware Casino Football Betting Picks

Getting started with online poker in Delaware is as simple as visiting Dover Downs Online, Delaware Park Online or Harrington Gaming Online. The front page of each website displays a prominent link to the poker room, where you can download the software and sign up for an account.