Delaware Betting Laws & Guide

Delaware wasted no time getting into sports betting, becoming the first state to launch it, besides Nevada, when legally allowed following PASPA’s end. Horse racing and parlay betting were allowed before then, but now futures betting and single-game bets are allowed too. While they were the first, they haven’t expanded much since then, leaving many craving more liberty when it comes to legal options.

Is sports betting legal in Delaware?

Yes, sports betting is legal in Delaware and has been fully legal since 2018. Like its neighbor, Maryland, you have to go to a physical location to place bets in Delaware. However, unlike in Maryland, there are no plans laid out for legalizing mobile betting in Delaware. So, for any residents hoping to place a bet from their phone, their best option is traveling to New Jersey or Pennsylvania, which thankfully isn’t too far.

What betting sites are legal in Delaware?

There are no legal betting sites in Delaware at all, and no plans for there to be any. If you see a site that says that you can legally bet there from Delaware, you will have no protection from them if they chose to withhold your winnings. That site is either lying to you or an offshore site that has no legal standing in America. Unfortunately, since there are no plans for expanding to mobile betting in Delaware, if you want to use popular sports betting apps such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, or Caesars, you will have to travel.

Delaware Sports Betting Rules and Regulations

For now, going to a retail location with proof that you’re at least 21 years old is the requirement in Delaware. If mobile betting launches, opening an account with a mobile sportsbook will probably require the following:

• Name

• Email

• Date of birth

• SSN

• Phone number

• Address

• Password

Once you’re verified and have made a deposit, you should have plenty of betting options, such as:

• Moneyline: Betting on a game’s winner

• Spreads: Betting on who will win and the difference in the final score

• Totals (over/under): A bet on the amount of scoring in a game

• Futures: Wagering on who the award winners and champions will be

• Props: Placing bets on a player or team’s performance

Delaware does not allow any bets to be placed on any of their in-state colleges. This includes the University of Delaware and Delaware State University. Colleges from other states can be bet on legally, even in neighboring states like Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

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Best Mobile Sportsbooks available in Delaware

No mobile sportsbooks are available in Delaware yet, so unfortunately there is no best mobile sportsbook. When Delaware has legal mobile sportsbooks available, they will be ranked based on how users favor them in Delaware. You can check out sportsbook reviews or sportsbook rankings in other states if you want to scout potential prospects for yourself.

What are the sports to bet on in Delaware?

If you choose to visit one of Delaware's casinos to bet, these are among the sports you should expect to see available:

• Baseball: MLB

• Basketball: NBA, WNBA

• Boxing

• College: Basketball, Football

• Football: NFL

• Golf: PGA

• Hockey: NHL

• Horse Racing

• Soccer: UEFA Champions League, MLS, Premier League

• Tennis

Delaware Sports Betting Tips

Learn the Terms

You should never bet on things that you don’t understand. Check out a glossary or guide to sharpen up before placing a bet.

Managing Money

Knowing how much you’re gambling with, and how much you can afford to bet with is important. Don’t gamble with money you don’t have, and if you need help don’t be afraid to seek it.

Make Smart Decisions

A 16-leg parlay may seem worth the risk, but 99% of the time it’ll be a loss. Don’t get emotional about your favorite teams, or always go for the big payout, as they aren’t sound strategies long-term.

General Tips

There are a lot of common mistakes among the masses that limit how successful they are. While sports betting is a personally tailored experience, the public tends to fall into some of the same traps.

One of the biggest ones is people betting based on what they want the outcome to be rather than what they truly expect it to be. For example, people love to bet on their favorite teams, which is perfectly fine. Doing so when they are terrible, or massive underdogs, isn’t smart, especially if you’re wagering large amounts. If you want to bet on your favorite team, reframe your thinking before doing so. Instead of thinking about how they can win or how badly you wish they would win, consider the reasons why they are entering the game as underdogs or narrow favorites. It may save you some money and further disappointment.

Taking the time to seriously consider the odds for any bet you want to make is fruitful as well. When you are gambling in any form, it’s about weighing the risk, reward, and likelihood of success. It’s not easy to balance considering all three equally. Before submitting a slip, take a second to look at the odds, think about the chances of the bet winning, and reflect on if it’s worth betting on, or how much you should bet on it.

If you are betting on a game, but both teams are unfamiliar to you, taking some time to look into them is ideal. You don’t have to dig through every advanced stat, but checking out their recent box scores, injury reports, and maybe some blogs written about them can provide key information. Even for teams that you think you know like the back of your hand, checking out what others have to say may change your outlook or give you different thoughts reinforcing your prior opinions. Information is extremely valuable when it comes to successful sports betting. You should take advantage of the vast amount of resources available on every team in every sport before betting on them.

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Wagering with funds that you can’t afford to lose is one of the worst mistakes people commonly make. No matter the odds or how sure the bet seems, every bet is capable of losing, which is why sportsbooks offer odds on them. Yes, you should be confident when placing any bet that it’ll win, but you should also be aware that it may not settle as planned. If you can’t afford to lose the money, keep it in your pockets.

Placing large wagers on sports, teams, and players you’re unfamiliar with is also unwise, yet happens frequently. Whether it be peer pressure or wanting to add stakes to what you’re watching, people love to bet on live games, which is fine. But if it’s not a sport that you typically bet on or follow, keep the wagers small if you want to place any. Losing a lot of money because you wanted to fit in or cheer for a certain player isn’t as fun in the aftermath. Betting on new sports and markets is fine, but begin humbly before the game humbles you. Learn the game, listen to experts, and gain confidence before dropping bigger bets.

Lastly, people tend to struggle when they go on losing streaks. Everyone that bets on sports goes through slumps, even the best bettors in the world. The key to busting out of it is not to press and try to gain all of your losses back at once. Betting on longer odds or wagering more money to recoup will increase the damage. If you’re on a skid, don’t be afraid to take a break or make smaller bets to build your confidence back. If your long-term betting strategy has proved profitable, there may not be a need to change anything, it may just be some bad breaks. Too many people dig themselves into deeper holes because they can’t regroup after a bad stretch.

Delaware Sports Betting Tax Rates

Sports betting winnings of at least $600 will be taxed, no matter what. Whether it was a bunch of smaller bets or one big win, the amount is what matters. The federal government taxes 24% of all gambling winnings. Any sports betting losses can be deducted as an itemized deduction, however, you can not deduct more in losses than your reported winnings.

Is DraftKings sports betting legal in Delaware?

Technically, DraftKings is legal in Delaware. However, legally there is no option to bet on sports through DraftKings in Delaware. If you want to use DraftKings for daily fantasy sports (DFS), you can do so legally.

New DraftKings players get a deposit bonus up to $1,000

Is FanDuel sports betting legal in Delaware?

FanDuel is also legal in the state, but there’s no clear path for its release, both physical or mobile, in Delaware. Just like with DraftKings, you can use FanDuel for DFS legally in Delaware.

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Delaware Sports Teams

• Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens

• Delaware State Hornets

Latest Delaware sports betting news

• The Blue Hens open up their football season at Navy on September 3rd, 2022.

• Deleware State hosts Lincoln University (PA) to begin their football schedule, on September 3rd, 2022.