On a day without an NBA Finals game or Stanley Cup Final matchup, there was still plenty of betting action when Delaware opened for business Tuesday.
According to Vernon Kirk, director of the state lottery, $322,135 was bet on sports at Delaware's three casinos Tuesday, the first day the state offered a full menu of betting options.
Delaware became the first state to offer full-scale sports betting outside of Nevada since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in mid-May that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was unconstitutional, opening a path for states to choose whether to legalize sports betting.
Delaware had offered parlay wagering on NFL only since 2009. In 2017, the lottery took roughly $48 million on NFL parlay wagers at its three casinos and select retail locations.
Research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming projects the annual amount bet on sports in Delaware could be in the range of $350 million to $760 million if online wagering is implemented fully.
To start, sports betting was offered only at Dover Downs, Delaware Park and Harrington Raceway & Casino.
While there were no championship events Tuesday, there was plenty of baseball. Delaware Gov. John Carney made the first wager, risking $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Chicago Cubs. The Phillies won 6-1.
"For us, it's really an enhancement of our tourism industry," Carney told ESPN on Tuesday. "It will attract a lot of visitors to our state, particularly at this time of year, during the summer, coming to our beautiful beaches south of here. They come here and stop at the casinos and do slot machine and table gaming. This will be another opportunity for them."
