Delaware sports betting on the rise

One of the ironies of state regulatory autonomy vs. federal interference in the United States is that sports betting prohibited by federal legislation in one state can be indulged a relatively short distance away in another…and that’s the case with Delaware and its much larger neighbour New Jersey.

New Jersey is struggling to introduce legal intrastate sports betting, spending millions on litigation as it tries to get past the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which restricts sports betting to just four US states – Delaware, Nevada, Oregon and Montana – and only full-on in one of them, Nevada.

The rewards for New Jersey could be substantial; Vernon Kirk, the director of the Delaware Lottery disclosed last year that his state made $5.2 million off revenues of $31.5 million from sports betting in 2013, up three-fold from 2009 estimates despite federal restrictions that permit only parlay betting on sports events like NFL games.

Delaware has a population one tenth that of New Jersey, although according to media interviews with
some of the 80 or more betting outlets, which include the state’s three racinos, visitors from nearby states boost business.

Punters who score over $600 are required to go to one of the racinos to cash, presenting additional seeling opportunities in terms of food, entertainment and more gambling for the operators.

Related and similar