Delaware is a state that likes to be at the front of the pack, it seems.
They are known as the First State, because they were the first of the original 13 States to ratify the constitution, and they were also the first state to sign off on sports betting, including MLS, when the federal law was changed.
That means Delawarean MLS fans have been able to bet on soccer since mid-2018, but they had limited options in other sports even before that. The story of sports betting in Delaware is more interesting than most, and despite chomping at the bit to legalize it they were very late to the party when it came to online betting.
Nevertheless, sports betting in the First State is now legal online and in person, and this article explains how it got to this point.
A History of Gambling
Delaware has never been a state that had an issue with gambling.
Pari-mutuel betting on horse racing was legalized way back in 1933, the state-run Delaware Lottery was set up in 1974, and they even attempted to introduce NFL parlay betting in 1976. That last effort wasn’t implemented very well and had a very low take-up, but it proved important later on. Collectively, these established betting activities meant Delaware had a legal framework that made passing gambling laws much easier in the future.
It was especially important after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) came into law in 1992, effectively making sports betting illegal across the United States. This is because the act was passed with a ‘grandfather clause’, whereby any state with pre-existing gambling laws was allowed to continue as they were, but could not introduce new betting laws or products.
This made Delaware one of just 4 states exempt from the blanket ban on betting. MLS fans were still out of luck, but some limited sports betting was possible.
The First State was also one of just 2 states that tried to implement wider sports betting laws during the PASPA years (the other was New Jersey. They did manage to re-introduce the NFL parlay betting they had briefly tried in 1976, but since full scale sports betting had not been implemented back then, the grandfather clause could not be used to introduce it.
That was in 2009, but again, the state’s foresight set them up nicely for the future.
Delaware First to Allow Sports Betting After PASPA
The work the state governors put in back in 2009 came in useful when PASPA was repealed by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Each state became responsible for their own sports betting laws on May 14th 2018, and on June 5th, less than a month later, Delaware hit the button. Much of the legal work required had already been done in the past, so it was simply a case of voting the bill into law.
Delaware became the first state in America to allow sports betting post PASPA, with New Jersey following close behind. Gov. John Carney placed the first bet, wagering $10 on the Phillies to beat the Cubs, which won.
However, they were slow to implement online sports betting. To begin with, sports betting was limited to Delaware’s casinos and racetracks.
Sportsbooks opened at:
- Delaware Park Casino
- Dover Downs Resort
- Harrington Raceway
This limited competition, along with the fact that sports betting was run by the State lottery, is one of the reasons they didn’t feel the need to rush with an online sportsbook.
To begin with, this was fine. In their first month alone, Delaware sportsbooks took over $7 million dollars with over $1 million going to the state. In their first year, over $100 million worth of wagers were placed. It’s only a small state of about a million people, so that’s a lot of revenue going into the public purse.
However, neighbouring states moved ahead with online betting, so Delaware residents simply crossed state lines in order to bet online, rather than travel miles to the nearest sportsbook. This was money Delaware was missing out on, so eventually, at the tail end of 2023, an online sportsbook was launched via BetRivers, although still regulated by the State Lottery.
It remains the only legal online sports betting option in the state, but has certainly improved the state’s finances. In the first month after the site launched, Delaware took $17 million in sports bets.
MLS Teams in Delaware
Being the second smallest state in America, it’s understandable that Delaware doesn’t have its own MLS team. In fact, they don’t have a top tier professional team in any sport.
However, their location on the Delmarva Peninsula on the East Coast of the country means Delaware is nestled in the middle of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. This means that Philadelphia Union are the closest MLS club for Delawarean soccer fans.
In fact, even those on the Southern border of Delaware would only have a 2.5 hour journey to get to Subaru Park in Philly. This is closer than some people in bigger states with more than one MLS team.
DC United would be another option, and New York Red Bulls play their soccer in New Jersey, despite their name. However, Delawareans are well known for their support of the NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, so it would follow that their soccer allegiances would lie in the same place.
Whichever team they support, they can bet on them online or in person within Delaware state lines.