June 5, 2018; Stanton, DE, USA; At 1:30 p.m. today Tuesday, June 5, 2018, Delaware launches the country's first full-scale sports betting operation outside of Nevada as people roll into the Casino at Delaware Park in Stanton, Del. to wager their bets. Mandatory Credit: Suchat Pederson/The News Journal via USA TODAY NETWORK

Online sports betting launches in Delaware

It took a long time, but Delaware finally has online sports betting.

Delaware was the first state outside of Nevada to launch legal sports betting in 2018. Despite being the first state to bring sports betting to the masses, online sports betting only fully launched in the state this month.

Online gambling, including poker and casino games, have been run in Delaware by 888Holdings for years. The Delaware Lottery’s partnership with 888Holdings concluded and a public bid to replace them as the Lottery’s partner and the state’s online gambling provider was won by Rush Street Interactive.

BetRivers, operated by Rush Street, soft-launched their online sportsbook in Delaware on December 27. That was followed by a full launch on January 3.

“We are thrilled to begin this historic and much-anticipated launch of the new online sportsbook and casino with the Delaware Lottery and bring our award-winning product to Delaware,” said Richard Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of Rush Street.

“With our extensive offering of gaming content, wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods, real-time cash-out approvals, and best-in-class customer service, Delaware customers are going to love the convenience of wagering on their favorite sports, slots, and table games from anywhere in the state.”

Current gambling laws in Delaware allow for only one operator in the state, but that could change in the future. A legislative study conducted last year on how state gambling operates suggested a multi-operator model would deliver more revenue to the state.

The state legislature reopens this month and gambling operators will be watching to see if any member uses the study to back new legislation to change the state’s gambling laws.

Upcoming Games