Delaware’s three sportsbooks have combined to handle nearly $23 million in sports wagers since the start of June, according to data from the state lottery.
The latest on Delaware sports betting
The Delaware Lottery recorded $7.7 million in wagers for the period from July 30 through Aug. 26. (The lottery does not do its accounting on a calendar month basis.) The sportsbooks held just over $700,000 in wagers during that time period.
For the short history of Delaware sports betting, the state has handled $22.9 million and has generated just over $2 million in revenue. Of that, about half has gone to state coffers.
About two-thirds of all of that has come via Delaware Park ($16.3 million handle, $1.5 million revenue). Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway lag far behind on both fronts.
Daily handle clocked in at about $275,000 a day, better than much of July but behind the June numbers right after launch.
The numbers come ahead of some of the busiest months for sports betting, as football season for both college and the NFL has begun. There should be a significant uptick in both handle and revenue the next time the lottery releases revenue figures.
Here is a look at the previous month’s revenue.
What’s next for Delaware sports betting?
Delaware become the first state to offer sports betting outside of Nevada earlier this summer. It is currently only legal to place wagers at the state’s physical sportsbooks; there is no online sports betting.
Delaware has said it wants to move into the online realm, but has given no timetable or plans to do so. Meanwhile, neighboring New Jersey has moved fully into the online era, with six active NJ sports betting apps. And another nearby state, Pennsylvania, will have retail and online sports betting starting later this year or earlier in 2019.
Will Delaware join them in the near future? If the state wants to maximize its sports betting revenue, it should think about doing so sooner rather than later, as other states offer more than just physical sportsbooks.
