Delaware to take first sports bets
Delaware's three casinos, Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and Harrington Raceway & Casino, are poised to accept the state's first full sports wagers at 13:30 EDT today.
GVC Holdings-owned Stadium Technology Group's proprietary sports betting platform willl power the sportsbooks at the three facilities.
Last week, Delaware became the first US state to legalise sports betting since the Supreme Court voted to overturn the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Delaware was among four states grandfathered under PASPA due to having enabling legislation on the books for the lottery to offer parlay cards on NFL games at the time of passage in 1992. This followed a failed experiment with the format in 1976.
Today's expansion will allow single-game wagering on professional baseball, football, hockey, basketball and other sports. Until today, this has only been legal in Nevada.
Stadium, acquired by Ladbrokes in 2012 before its merger with Coral and subsequent acquistion by GVC, already provides this software in 16 of the 20 licensed sportsbooks in the state of Nevada. GVC said today that Stadium had capacity to extend this to more than 100 other licensed locations.
Adam Greenblatt, director of development and corporate strategy at GVC, said: “We are delighted to be up-and-running as the first – and currently only – provider with a market ready solution for our partners in the new regulatory environment.
“As legislation evolves in the post-PASPA world, having the capability and flexibility to be able to get to market fast, with proven and compliant technology, is a key advantage for us.
“This small but important step on the pathway of regulatory reform in the US sports betting and igaming market, shows the preparedness of GVC to take an active part in the development of the sector.
“We believe the group’s proprietary, omni-channel technology coupled with our extensive US and international operating experience and trading expertise, positions us for long-term success.”
Delware was among the first three US states to fully legalise and regulate igaming back in 2012. The programme is run by the state lottery and powered by a vendor collaboration between 888 and Scientific Games/WMS.
The state's 888-powered poker sites, including WSOP, began pooling liquidity with Nevada’s in March 2015. This was extended last month to include New Jersey, following October 2017’s Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
Related article: Delaware legalises sports betting