Delaware online gaming delayed but active
News on 13 Feb 2013
News on 13 Feb 2013
Industry observers who had hoped to see legalised online gambling in the state of Delaware by the first quarter of 2013 will have to be patient until September this year due to other priorities on the Delaware agenda.
That should come as no surprise to most, given that the state’s recent ‘request for proposals’ for operators imposed a deadline for operational launch of end September this year.
State Lottery director Vernon Kirk said this week in an interview with the newspaper USA Today that Delaware, which passed a legalisation law last year, had intended a Q1-2013 launch but had been distracted by other priorities that had obliged it to put implementation back to September 2013.
Those ‘other priorities’ included the expansion of football parlay betting to non-casino venues, and a state-wide Keno network, Kirk revealed.
Like Nevada, Delaware is concerned about player numbers and therefore liquidity in its internet gambling endeavours, and will seek agreements with other states – preferably those with large populations – that have also legitimised online gambling, Kirk said.
He suggested that a partnership deal with Nevada would benefit both states (Nevada is currently pondering a law allowing the governor to seek interstate partnerships on internet poker).
New Jersey would also seem to be logical target, once it has achieved legalisation; but that could be problematic, given the competitive nature of the relationship with Delaware when it comes to gambling.
“We’ll see what New Jersey does, and there’s even been discussion that wouldn’t necessarily exclude Europe,” Kirk said, drawing attention to a passage in the Request for Proposals that stipulates responders must have at least a year’s online gambling experience in running legal, real-money online betting operations in Europe or North America.
