Pending Regs

Delaware governor makes state’s first legal sports wager

Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) made the state’s first legal sports wager on Tuesday, as Delaware became the first to launch sports betting since the Supreme Court legalized it last month.

Surrounded by a group of onlookers, Carney placed a $10 bet for the Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday night. 

Delaware is the first state to launch full-scale sports betting since the Supreme Court in May lifted a law that banned it in almost every state. Sports betting in Delaware can now take place in the state’s three casinos — Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and Harrington Raceway & Casino.{mosads}

“We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see firsthand what our state has to offer,” Carney said in a statement last week.

The law allows individuals to place single-game bets and future bets on the MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA, as well as golf, soccer and auto racing. 

The Supreme Court’s precedent-shattering decision has opened the door for sports betting to be legal nationwide. It represented a huge win for states such as New Jersey, which had been fighting to make sports betting legal at racetracks and casinos in the state since 2010.