The federal ban on sports betting goes all the way back to 1992 when congress enacted the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, making it illegal for state-authorized sports betting, with a few exceptions. With this bill being passed, only Nevada was allowed to accept sports wagers on single games.

Betting on Sports in Delaware

Many states have been fighting against that specific legislation for many years. New Jersey in particular has been at the forefront of the battle, eventually taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court. It was at the Supreme Court that in May of 2018, overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, now allowing states to decide for themselves if they wish to allow for single game, state-sanctioned sports gambling.

With the floodgates seemingly opened by the Supreme Court’s ruling, a number of states have since submitted the necessary paperwork to legalize sports gambling at their casinos. Along with New Jersey, another state making a major push to take advantage of the new law is Delaware.

Delaware has already made table games and other basic forms of gambling legal, and with May’s ruling in place, they’re now first in line to allow certain sports books and casinos to accept wagers on sporting events.

One of the major Delaware casinos to achieve approval for legalized sports gambling is one of their most popular in the state, Delaware Park.

Already a very popular destination for gamblers due to their slots, table games, and various race wagering, Delaware Park was among the first casinos in all of Delaware to be able to accept sports wagers. After almost two moths of legalized sports betting action at Delaware Park, they’re already experiencing a huge boom is business.

Wagering at Delaware Park

Delaware Park sports wagering is sure to be a huge drawl among both the locals, and the hundreds of thousands of people who travel to the casino every year.

Delaware Park will already have some competition, as three casinos have already been granted permission to accept sports wagers: Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway & Casino. And along with those three major casinos already accepting wagers, a fourth casino, Monmouth Park was scheduled to start accepting wagers on May 28^th, but has since been slightly delayed some while further regulations are worked out.

It’s the dawn of a new era of sports entertainment around the country, and especially is states like Delaware who are actively taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

Delaware Park was already one of the biggest, major casinos in all of Delaware, and their ability to accept sports wagers is expected to exponentially increase business across the board as more people travel to the casino resort. While many people are strictly focusing on the positives of the new legislation, others are pointing to the potential problem of others states eventually legalizing their own state-sanctioned sports betting, which would likely dig deeply into Delaware’s casino’s profits, taking away their distinct advantage in the region as being one of the few places allowing for sports gambling.

While that day may eventually come, for now Delaware Park, and Delaware as a whole are welcoming new sports bettors with open arms as they make millions in taxes from the sports betting action. The rest of the country eagerly awaits what’s next to come in the new, exciting time for sports entertainment and gambling.